A lack of IT people in the market? Try hiring a specialist

The Covid crisis has further accelerated the long-term problem with the lack of IT specialists in the market. Companies have moved online and begun quickly addressing the digitalization of their business. Finding high-quality employees is never easy, but now the disparity between demand and supply has never been greater. One solution to this problem for companies could be simply “hiring” the IT specialists they need. We asked Soitron’s Ján Tomášik, who is responsible for outsourcing in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, more about this service.

What types of IT professions are currently in the highest demand?

Overall, in the post-Covid period, we can see an increased interest in services in the digital transformation industry. There is a greater demand for experts such as cloud specialists, software developers, and digital workplace specialists. A rising number of cyber-attacks, the increased use of remote access to corporate infrastructure, and BYOD (BringYourOwnDevice) support, has also led to growing investments into IT security positions.

How has this demand been evolving in recent years?

With the onset of the first Covid wave last year, we saw a short-term reduction in demand for outsourcing services; however, lockdowns and mobility restrictions in multiple countries have accelerated the advent of digital technologies and demand for outsourcing services. The physical location of employees is no longer so important for companies. This has extended the opportunities for outsourcing providers, who can offer their services from multiple locations.

What is the typical period which IT specialists are “hired” for?

Customers increasingly prefer outsourcing, even for shorter-term projects. This is especially to reduce risk and respond to the need to transform their environment into a virtual workplace as quickly as possible. Demand for long-term outsourcing is also rising, and this is most notable with solutions provided “as a service”.

Who are the typical customers of your services?

Over the past year, we have seen an extraordinary growth in the digital industry (SaS, remote user management, and cloud services) as well as in other sectors such as transportation, gaming, streaming services, and e-commerce. Companies are experiencing an ever-greater shortage of IT professionals in the local market, and therefore they tend to look for outsourcing partners in nearshore locations.

What types of projects do your people most often work on for your customers?

These are often application development projects or remote user and infrastructure support, where agile teams operate. Recently, customers have preferred personal contact with senior team members (architects, lead developers, and PMs). Support functions are often complemented from other countries.

Do you encounter any barriers in cooperation or communication with your customers’ staff?

We have only had good experiences so far. We always try to transparently set up communication lines and responsibilities for individual stakeholders before the project. The development of multi-channel communication tools also contributes to effective communication.

What do you do about your customers potentially employing your people?

It is always a matter of the contract and a fair relationship with the customer. It also depends on why the customer contacted the outsourcing partner. In projects such as building new competence centres, the goal is often to transfer teams, processes, and tools to the customer within an agreed time frame and under agreed conditions. We perceive these projects positively and do not oppose the planned transition of our people to the customer. Short-term projects are also advantageous for customers, because they do not need to build their own competence. They just purchase it from a partner. In such cases, the transfer of employees does not happen often.

How flexible are you in providing the people that the customer needs (in other words, how long in advance does a project need to be contracted)?

Changes to the labour market brought about by Covid have made companies streamline their operations and optimize the number of staff not assigned to specific projects. Today, companies do not keep employees on the “bench”. For new projects, it is often necessary to look for resources in the market; as a result, the recruitment process has a significant impact on the length of the preparation phase. We are usually able to respond to our clients’ requests within one month of signing the contract. The length of time depends mainly on the size of the project and the needs arising from the project’s objectives.