Nearly 77 percent of data professionals in Canada believe the tech talent shortage will continue throughout 2024, a new investigation by Toronto-based IT consulting firm Adastra.
This is mainly due to the accelerated adoption of data analytics and AI.
According to the survey, two specific areas are affected by the growing talent gap: frontline workers who can work with new analytics tools, strategies and programs, and senior data analysts/data scientists who can coordinate these activities and continue to discover business insights.
“We have certainly seen a spike in data analytics activity across all verticals, leading to a growing backlog of talent and project requests within IT departments,” said Rahim Hajee, North American Managing Director of Adastra, in a press release. release. “Alongside the shortage of skilled talent, the challenge for many companies is converting legacy mindsets and synergizing processes.
It is, he added, a process of “empowering citizens through retraining, allowing more members of an organization to participate through a no-code or low-code software environment” .
The survey actually found that 90 percent of respondents believe that data optimization allows employers to redeploy staff to more meaningful and productive tasks.
Hajee added that democratizing data within any organization allows more people to be involved in day-to-day analytics and helps reduce the backlog that may exist in its IT/analytics department.
Nearly 62% of respondents use, for example, Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), which allows companies to use first-party information to improve customer and employee experiences via a chatbot.
“Most organizations have realized the importance of data to their functionality and financial results,” said Dmitry Krass, academic co-director of the Master of Management Analytics program at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. “It is not the number of people trained that is the problem, but rather the skills highlighted by the training. A data scientist who does not have a strong focus on business and business processes cannot provide value.
The study shows that 76 percent of Canadian respondents will spend more on data analytics this year, especially as the push toward AI skyrockets.
Thus, 87 percent of respondents consider the use of data as a competitive advantage and, therefore, 45 percent believe that more new jobs will be created in 2024.
Nick Kozlo, research director at Info-Tech Research Group, disputed that IT leaders must remember that machines do not replace human talent and, conversely, humans should not be treated like machines.
He added: “The age of automation requires a delicate balance in the workplace. IT leaders must increasingly integrate AI into human teams, balance remote and in-office work models, merge technical and soft skills, and ensure high productivity while safeguarding employee well-being. Achieving this balance is crucial for both organizational success and team development.
“As generative AI enters the workplace, organizations must not lose sight of its ultimate impact on the organization’s people and the skills that only people can bring to the workplace. » Info-Tech IT Talent Trends Report 2024 report highlighted.
The report also highlights the need to optimize the new remote environment for human interactivity and collaboration.
