The Future Is Now: The High Demand For Developers

At a recent industry conference in Seattle, the SIGnature Recruiting team heard a statistic that caused many attendees to gasp in disbelief:

Unemployment in the IT field hovers around 2% in the United States and 5% in Canada

That number does not surprise us.

In fact, every day at SIGnature Recruiting, we see the impact of the large gap between the high demand for and the limited supply of IT professionals in Vancouver. Our team is always seeking out suitable candidates for numerous IT positions in software development, QA, and project management.

With a majority of the IT pool estimated to be employed, and many not seeking to change jobs, it’s no wonder that good positions with excellent companies are challenging to fill.

The trend will likely continue too. Last year, the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) released a report that forecast Canada – particularly British Columbia – will have a significant on-going need for developers.

ICTC estimates that almost 200,000 people (182,000 exactly) will be required by 2019 to fill positions such as information systems analysts, computer and network operators, web technicians, software engineers, and more.

The report indicates that British Columbia will experience over 10% (20,900) of the IT staff deficit with most of those unfilled positions located in the Vancouver area.

The number of new and vacant existing IT positions are outpacing the number of available and skilled IT professionals because:

1. Companies are rapidly investing in new technologies, such as internet of things (IOT), wearables, and robotics, that increase the number of positions.
2. With software development and coding embedded in more positions regardless of industry, more staff possessing core IT skills like Java, NET, C++, and HTML are in-demand.
3. Expertise is changing as the technology evolves, causing a skill mismatch between current IT professionals and IT jobs. Positions today also require a mix of technical and business skills versus proficiency only in one area.
4. Canadian educational and technical schools are unable to deliver trained and competent workforce at a pace to satisfy business demands.
5. An aging workforce moving into retirement is happening faster than the pace of new employees entering the market.

While solutions to the employment gap are complex and require long-term strategies, there several actions that companies and individuals can take to manage the lack of staffing:

• Instead of posting a new mid or senior-level position that may not be filled for months, companies train existing staff and hire junior staff to fulfill the fundamental responsibilities.
• IT professionals stay up-to-date and trained on the new skills needed for a rapidly changing environment (read our Why Professional Development Is Essential for the Best Developers )

How is your company managing the low volume of qualified IT professions?

If you are an IT professional open to relocation, all signs indicate that now is the right time to make the move to Vancouver. Contact us about available positions.