Could we still be in an environment where so many are desperate for jobs that there are some fields still struggling to find employees? That is exactly what is happening in some specific fields. In IT and engineering, there are certain positions that command a certain level of experience and training that are in short supply in the general market. As such, those companies hiring in these fields are likely to find themselves struggling to make ends meet. If you are a recruiter, you will likely find it hard to find well-qualified applicants.
Hard to Fill Positions
There are numerous positions that could become hard to fill in the short term. In the fields of IT and engineering, though, the following are the most difficult to find qualified prospective for right now.
- Software engineers and web developers – demand is up and skills are not there in many instances. There is a growing demand in this field that education has not kept up with, though in the coming years, more applicants may become available as more students turn to these industries.
- Creative design and user experience – a lack of talent in this very rapidly growing field will likely continue to hold back those companies in need of professionals. It, too, may see improvement as more candidates graduate school.
- Analytics – always a challenging subject area, it is growing in intensity. A demand for qualified professionals is present in most areas and yet there are few candidates to fill key positions here.
- Product management – it sounds like it would be easy to fill but chances are good recruiters will find a lack of talent and experience present.
- Marketing – the ever-changing face of marketing is making it one of the most demanding fields right now. The scope of marketing continues to change at a rapid pace making filling these positions difficult to do at best.
What is making these positions so hard to fill? A number of aspects are contributing. First, there is the demand for more Internet-based focus in many of these fields. Everyone from individuals to small businesses, from large corporations to government entities needs websites and management of them. That demand is making it hard to fill positions. Over the next eight years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the fastest growing job category will be computer application software specialists. A 32 percent increase in professionals from the period of 2008 to 2018 is likely. That’s explosive.
Also contributing is the fact that technology is moving at such a rapid pace. It is hard to find professionals with not only knowledge, but also working experience in areas such as tablets and mobile devices – key applications for many of today’s biggest businesses. Without this knowledge base, many people cannot perform in the job. Yet, there are candidates working to enter these fields in the next years. The gap for the short term may be difficult for many employers to manage, though. Recruiters may find IT and engineering difficult to staff overall for these reasons.