Will a shortage of IT specialists occur?

Ten post dostępny jest także w języku: polski

Experts warn that the skills gap in the IT industry is growing, and there is a risk that the ever-increasing demand for specialists in the data centre segment may not be met. Although as many as 60% of Polish companies believe that they already have adequate staff to cope with the expansion of network infrastructure without the need to strengthen the team, the retirement of IT professionals and an insufficient number of new engineers may pose a major challenge in the near future.

The IT software and services market has been growing extremely fast in recent years and, even though the growth rate slowed down during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is still one of the most buoyant economic sectors in Poland. However, the good situation on the market did not translate into increased employment in IT positions. According to the ARC Rynek i Opinia survey commissioned by Vertiv, only 3% of the surveyed companies decided to expand their IT teams and in as many as 95% of cases, they remained unchanged. A large part of companies – as many as 60% – believe that they already have adequate staff that can handle both the management and development of network infrastructure without the need to reinforce the IT team.

The number of IT professionals is not keeping up with market growth

However, problems connected with the lack of specialised personnel may affect the data centre segment, which is not one of the most popular areas for work and development. The data center market in Poland will develop dynamically, consequently, the demand for specialists in this field will increase. Nevertheless, along with technological progress, the competence gap in the IT industry will become more and more noticeable. According to the Vertiv study “Data Center 2025: Closer to the Edge”, as many as 16% of surveyed data centre employees plan to retire by 2025. It means that the demand for new employees will increase, and this will involve the need to train staff at the university level.

The ARC Rynek i Opinia survey results show that as many as 78% of IT employees use tools for remote access and infrastructure monitoring. Additionally, 38% of them claim that their role is significant, and in the case of companies not using colocation, the same opinion is held by as many as 42% of respondents.