Gartner sees less demand for IT specialists

Demand for IT specialists could shrink as much as 40 percent within the next five years, according to Gartner analysts who unveiled a list of key trends for 2006.

According to the market researcher, businesses will increasingly look to employ "IT versatilists," employees who not only specialize in IT but who demonstrate business smarts by handling multidisciplinary assignments.

"The long-term value of today's IT specialists will come from understanding and navigating the situations, processes and buying patterns that characterize vertical industries and cross-industry processes," Diane Morello, Gartner's research vice president, said Tuesday in a statement.

According to Gartner, a trend of transferring laptop ownership from company to employee will also emerge. By 2008, 10 percent of companies will adopt this practice: managing the use of employee-owned laptops with plans such as notebook allowances.

In addition, the analyst predicts that spending on regulatory compliance will grow at a rate twice that of IT spending.

In order to keep up with regulatory compliance requirements from the U.S. government and European Commission, businesses may be forced to dip into their discretionary IT budgets. This would leave little resources for organizations to manage initiatives key to business growth, such as exploring the use of new technology, Gartner warned.

[pilaa]

There is some truth to that assumption

I have noticed there has been a trend by small businesses to hire people with the necessary skills to double as an IT system admins but not to replace a fully qualified IT specialist. I am sure this trend will continue as technology and users become more tech savy... I also agree with companies offering a kind of "lease to own" program with regard to laptop purchases. This puts the responsibility of maintaining the laptop with the employee and thus eliminates abuse and damage. I only see this trend growing as laptops and tablet pc's become more of an essential business tool for all rather than a only for a select few.

[pilaa]

There is some truth to that assumption

I have noticed there has been a trend by small businesses to hire people with the necessary skills to double as an IT system admin but not to replace a fully qualified IT specialist. I am sure this trend will continue as technology and users become more tech savy... I also agree with companies offering a kind of "lease to own" program with regard to laptop purchases. This puts the responsibility of maintaining the laptop with the employee and thus eliminates abuse and damage. I only see this trend growing as laptops and tablet pc's become more of an essential business tool for all rather than only for a select few.

[Grudgeboy]

Hard to agree with Gartner

I've worked with a number of business/IT types, especially in the insurance sector. It seems to be a common trait that they see IT systems as trivial entities that are easy to manipulate, and somehow peripheral to the business, rather than immensely complex entities that keep the business running. There will always be a need for techies whose primary focus is technology. Any company that follows this trend away from IT Specialists will run whimpering back to the old way of doing things once they start to rack up project failures and system outages.

[capfan12]

in other words

They want IT specialists that will sweep the floors and take out the trash when their jobs are moved off shore.

[saboteur1]

Trashmen get paid good here

Too funny and too true

[lazura]

Trend or Aberation?

I'm wondering if this forecast of a 40% less demand for IT specialist can partly be attributed to outsourcing? After all, most offshore resources are specialists, not generalists. And they certainly offer no help for business-type efforts. After all, Gartner isn't saying that companies aren't going to deploy technologies that need specialists, just that these companies aren't willing to pay for them. None of this bodes well for domestic IT resources. These 'generalists' type employees can't be trained in college or extension courses; they can only get this skill through employment and experience in a company.

You can stop wondering

The answer is a resounding "Yes".

There are structural changes that are impacting our industry. We are moving a lot of lower skill level jobs offshore.

One way or another, this will have an impact on people who sell those skills. If they don't lose their jobs outright, they will discover that commodity skills command commodity wages.

But it isn't all negative. The people who are going to stay employed in this field will find that they can come out ahead if they prepare for the changes that are hitting our industry.


Steve Larrison
http://www.surviveoutsourcing.com

[Marcus Westrup]

Dangerous times

I suspect this trend to reduce the number of IT specialists on staff, at a time when criminals are become much more sophisticated in their attacks, will turn around to bite the industry in the ass. Managers who don?t ?get it?, are looking for simple one size fits all solutions for a growing problem.

[HappyPappy]

Hmmmm...

Let's not forget this is the company that predicted that OS/2 would be the next great thing.

Take it with a grain of salt.