Report Indicates Growth of IT Jobs in Central Ohio Will Continue Over Next Five Years Despite Key Skills Gaps

A recent report released from TechColumbus indicates that Central Ohio’s knowledge economy increasingly depends on information systems that quickly scale, that support anytime-anywhere operation and that require uniquely skilled information technology (IT) workers and analysts.  This demand is anticipated to continue and the growth of IT jobs will continue over the next five years, provided business leaders and IT professionals are willing to adopt disruptive approaches to how they do business and commit to continually honing their skills to address key gaps.    

Research of the Central Ohio IT market suggests the number of IT positions is growing rapidly and skills needs are rapidly changing. The analysis based on data from US Bureau of Labor Statistics, two surveys of Central Ohio CIOs, and five focus groups with CIOs, universities and workers, suggests that 1) IT labor demand is growing at a significant rate, 2) there are skills gaps between business needs and worker competency, and 3) the landscape will continue to shift over the next five years, which will strain productivity and leave hard-to-fill positions open for extended periods of time unless the talent pipeline is addressed in a comprehensive manner.

Skills gaps can be categorized in three areas: technical IT needs, business-related skills (not IT-specific) and soft skills.

• Java and .NET skills are the most-often identified technical skills needed, followed by Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Architecture, design, and integration of applications were also mentioned.
• Business analysis, critical thinking, and process modeling skills were mentioned by 83 percent of survey respondents. Project management skills were mentioned by 46 percent, and general data management and modeling skills were mentioned by 25 percent of survey respondents.
• Communication was the overwhelming soft skill need which, according to the steering committee, was primarily communication to top managers and non-IT experts. Ninety two percent of survey responses indicated this as a priority - followed by the need to improve interpersonal skills and team skills.

Business leaders are also being forced to think about business models differently as a result of - 1.) how the environment in which they operate every day is changing (e.g., the ability to work anywhere thanks to mobile devices);  2.) how they engage and motivate employees and free agents (self employed contractors for hire);  3.) how they select and build talent; and 4.) how they adapt to changing needs. As a result of this transformation, IT is increasingly a strategic partner in executive leadership discussions instead of a reactive, “necessary evil” of business.

For more, download the full report.