Dive Brief:
- The tech talent market could deliver a surplus of qualified workers over the next three years, despite the current skill shortages, according to an Alteryx report published Tuesday. The company commissioned Coleman Parkes to poll more than 2,800 IT leaders in September and October.
- More than two-thirds of IT leaders say the need for advanced technologists will decrease over time as positions are filled, with a surplus available by 2026, according to the survey. More than 3 in 5 say this surplus scenario will also apply to general tech positions.
- As technology skills expand throughout the enterprise, nearly three-quarters of IT leaders say it's more important for employees to have multiple skills than specialization. Creativity, emotion and critical thinking are the top contributions of the human workforce in a talent market shaped by AI.
Dive Insight:
As executives work to infuse rapidly evolving AI into their technology strategy, the need for AI-savvy talent has increased. But the current state of demand won't stay this high in the mid- to long-term, according to the survey.
Yet, companies are hard pressed right now. A lack of skilled talent is among the top barriers between companies and their generative AI adoption plans, according to an O'Reilly report.
With IT unemployment still low, around 2% for most of this year, demand for AI positions and skills is growing, based on the most recent set of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, a CompTIA review found.
The ongoing development of AI technologies will also shape how companies set their technology talent strategies moving forward. Updates and capabilities from leading providers, including Microsoft and Google, aim to maximize the efficiency of human workers.
