It’s not your imagination: Hiring IT staff is MUCH harder than it used to be, and retaining them is even harder. There simply are not enough qualified applicants to fill positions — especially anyone with experience in cloud services and cyber security. 

There are a few reasons for the dip in qualified applicants:

1. New positions are being created daily. The shift from in-office to work-from-anywhere has driven the need for more cloud and security experts. Qualified techs have a lot of choices for where to apply.
2. There simply are not enough applicants in the workforce with the necessary training, experience and credentials to fill the need.
3. More and more baby boomers are choosing to take early retirement. Gen X’ers are close behind them. That means more vacant positions to fill.
4. Working in IT can be stressful. Many workers over 55 have opted for less stressful jobs or ones in which they can manage their own time,  such as starting their own business. Even with younger employees, burnout is a real issue in the field, especially if techs are expected to be on call 24/7/365.
5. Older, more experienced IT technicians are leaving the labor force, leaving those with less training and experience to fill the gaps. That means entry level and less experienced tech make up the majority of applicants.  
6. Competition is fierce (and expensive). Experienced IT professionals are being coaxed away by lucrative jobs with better benefits or more perks. Small and medium-sized businesses find it very difficult  to compete with the big three giants of this industry: Amazon, Microsoft and Google, all of which are actively recruiting and hiring tech staff. Other companies are competing with you as well, offering applicants incentives that you simply cannot afford or do not want to offer.

Solving the Challenges of Hiring IT Staff

This situation is difficult but not impossible. Here are a few ways to counter attack:

1. Evaluate the current talent on your staff. Are their salaries in keeping with current salary trends? If not, raise their wages and offer them opportunities to expand their education and skills. Let them know their voices are being heard and that you value their work.
2. Look for “new-collar workers,” the ones who received their IT talents from nontraditional educational paths:  vocational schools, software boot camps, technical certification programs, high school technical education and on-the-job apprenticeships and internships.
3. Resolve your staffing problems with a managed service provider (MSP)  by making them part of your IT team full time  or by supporting your team with highly technical skills.

MSP Solutions

There are two ways an MSP can be the answer to your IT hiring problems:

• Complete outsourcing: MSPs are very knowledgeable and hire the best IT techs. They handle all IT for your company from setup and management of your software and security while monitoring even the smallest details. They offer a complete IT service so you don’t have to go looking for the best qualified. You’ll already have it. All you have to think about is how great everything is working.
• Supplementing your internal team: You might have an exceptional internal IT department that occasionally gets overwhelmed trying to keep up with the latest trends, cyber attacks and other unexpected situations. Not to mention being on call 24/7/365. An MSP can handle just those areas that the internal team cannot, including offering coverage for sick days, vacation time and after hours so your internal team doesn’t burn out. You structure the support services based on your business needs. 

The best managed service providers will offer you services tailored to your business needs. Free from IT headaches, you can focus on sustaining and  growing your  business.

Download our Managed IT Checklist to help you choose IT support for your business.

After you’ve thought about these things,  contact us or book a meeting. Even if you decide not to use us or another MSP, you’ll come away from the conversation with several good ideas for your business.