IT leaders continue to grapple with the skills shortage as AI exacerbates existing knowledge gaps and challenges tech teams to adopt new platforms.

This trend was confirmed in a recent Red Hat Inc survey of 300 UK IT managers of large enterprises, which found that about three quarters (72%) of leaders think the AI skills gap needs to be addressed with a matter of urgency.

But it’s not just AI: strategic thinking and business skills (73%) must also be strengthened to ensure business success.

Cybersecurity, agile deliver, automation, and people and human skills are also a top concern for leaders, with 69% of those surveyed cited each as a key skill priority.

But what factors are driving these skills shortages across the tech landscape?

The Problems Behind the Problem 

High workloads preventing people from finding the time to upskill (44%) and a lack of budget for said upskilling, training, or recruitment (44%) were some of the top reasons IT leaders cited when asked to ponder this conundrum.

Further, working in silos which prevent cross-team learning opportunities (35%) was also thought to contribute, as well as an inability to keep up with a fast moving, complex software landscape (34%).

But whether the skills shortage derives from a skills or a platform problem remains contested.

A third (33%) of those surveyed believe they do have the right systems in place to serve their business needs, and insist they do not have the right skill sets within the organisation to maximise their platforms’ potential.

On the other hand, nearly half (46%) of leaders said they need new systems to better serve the needs of their business.

Threats to Innovation

When asked about the current barriers to innovation in their organisation, 36% of IT managers pointed to slow adoption of the latest and most efficient processes, while 35% again highlighted the lack of budget for effective training and upskilling.

Further, around a third (30%) said an inability to recruit and retain the right talent was a barrier to innovation, with another 30% saying a lack of access to the right tech platforms to speed up software delivery was the main problem.

Similarly, 27% said that not enough automation was adopted to speed up tasks and increase free time was an issue, and a quarter (25%) cited an insufficient headcount amid a growing demand for services.

When asked what would be top of their wish list to help their team and organisation innovate more and better, the ability to recruit and retain the right talent in the coming year was number one, with a third (33%) saying this topped their list.

This was closely followed by having enough budget for effective training and upskilling (30%).

A quarter of respondents are seeking the right technology platforms to speed up software delivery (25%), and the ability to measure the impact of innovation on business profitability, team satisfaction and performance (24%).

Tech Investment 

Looking ahead, IT leaders were asked how they might invest to mitigate these barriers in order to scale their business.

Around a third (30%) of leaders plan on investing on IT modernisation in order to embrace new technologies such as AI, cloud, and containers.

This seems almost in contrast to their continued worries about skills shortages projected to only worsen because of the introduction of these emerging technologies.

Holly Cummins, senior principal software engineer, Red Hat said: “This survey highlights the classic challenge many individuals and businesses face: they don’t have enough time to implement the very changes that will save them time

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“The responses also show that people are a core part of the technological landscape. We know that developer experience – for external developers and those inside a company – is one of the most important determinants for business success. This means when providing any new technology, developers need time to get it set up for success and to upskill.”

It does seem that IT leader’s ‘wishlists’ provided in the survey are not in alignment with their actual investment plans, which could be exacerbating the continued skills shortage, putting more pressure on IT workers to adapt without time to upskill or retrain.

Previous studies have already confirmed that many businesses are diving into AI without the right tools, platforms, or skills in place, leading to digital failures.