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Writer's pictureSteve Chau

Creating a Resilient and Future-Proof Tech Team to Navigate Economic Downturns by UpSkilling

Updated: Apr 3

How to create a resilient technology workforce capable of withstanding economic downturns by UpSkilling.


In 2023, Chauster conducted a blind survey involving over 1,725 technology leaders and technologists. The purpose was to gain insights into how organizations cultivate technology skills and pinpoint the most significant global skills gaps. This report integrates the findings from this comprehensive survey with user data retrieved from the Chauster platforms, aiming to identify strategies for addressing and closing the most substantial technology skills gaps.


KEY FINDINGS

  • The two most significant technology skills gaps are cybersecurity and cloud computing.

  • Investments in upskilling are not increasing at a rate to close technology skills gaps.

  • The next wave of cloud computing innovation is multi-cloud-as-default, which requires technologists to understand multiple cloud technologies and how they affect organizational security.



Future Proof  Your Tech Team

Table of Contents






Amidst the persistent global pandemic and the looming possibility of a worldwide economic downturn, securing the talent and resources necessary to maintain your strategies is more challenging than before. The remedy? Transform into generators of talent rather than mere consumers.


You Need to Invest in Your Team


Staying competitive requires exploring fresh avenues for personal and team investment. In Chauster's recently published State of Upskilling and State of Cloud reports, data highlights the most significant skills gaps for technologists: cybersecurity and cloud computing. These reports offer a clear direction forward—incorporating on-demand learning into your employees' schedules is crucial.

Top Skill Gap

The insights from the State of Upskilling and State of Cloud reports offer additional key data points that should not be overlooked. Notably, a significant finding reveals that half of employees contemplate leaving their jobs each month. However, companies investing in their employees' skill development experience a 94% higher likelihood of retaining their workforce.



SECURITY: remains a top skills priority

While hiring may decline, the expenditure on technology infrastructure is not following suit. According to Gartner, IT spending will reach $4.6 trillion in 2024. As your organization's investment in technology continues to rise, it becomes crucial to dedicate time and budget to upskilling employees responsible for implementing, using, and maintaining this technology.


The combination of heightened investments in IT infrastructure and hiring freezes, leading to under-staffing, creates a potential breeding ground for cyberattacks. Unsurprisingly, cybersecurity-related courses remain in high demand. Notably, the “ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional, CISSP” course on Chauster surged three positions, claiming the top spot as the most-watched course in 2023.


And it makes sense. On the one hand, cybersecurity skills make technologists more appealing to hiring managers. Conversely, leaders must work around hiring freezes to develop the cybersecurity skills they need with existing employees.


Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT problem. Seven of the top 30 courses across Chausters’s platforms are designed to prepare technologists for security-related certifications, including CompTIA Security+, AWS Certified Security Specialty, and Azure Security Engineer Associate.


Top Chauster Skills Courses




The Gap In Cloud Skills Is Expanding

The gap in cloud skills is expanding as the cybersecurity trend permeates the realm of cloud computing, with businesses increasingly adopting cloud strategies.


Cloud Computing Expectations

Projections from Gartner indicate that global spending on cloud computing is anticipated to reach $591.8 billion in 2024, marking a 20% surge compared to 2023.


Despite this substantial growth, the gap in cloud industry skills persists, as organizational leaders prioritize technological investments over upskilling efforts. This approach exacerbates rather than alleviates the existing technology skills gap.


Bridging The Gap In Cloud Skills

Enterprises are fully committed to the cloud, yet they may have overlooked a crucial aspect—the experts shaping their solutions. Only 8% of technologists possess extensive experience with cloud-related tools, despite 75% of leaders defaulting to building new products and features in the cloud.


However, technologists strive to catch up, dedicating nearly 85,000 cumulative days in 2023 to pursue cloud certifications across all Chausters platforms. Their focus extends beyond certifications, as evidenced by including two new skill assessments, Microservices Architecture, and DevOps Foundations, in this year's top 10. These professionals are taking the initiative to learn additional topics crucial to the cloud and are willing to invest the time required.


Given the right tools and time, technologists seize the opportunity to enhance their skills. When empowered, they make significant contributions, with half of all technologists citing that their improved cloud skills have had the greatest impact on identifying vulnerabilities within technical solutions more rapidly. This underscores the vital link between cloud skills and overall organizational security.


Most Popular Skill

• C#

• Java Fundamentals

• Python Core Language

• JavaScript Core Language

• Managing Source Code with Git

• Microservices Architecture

• Kubernetes and Docker

• Data Science

• DevOps Foundations

• Advanced Cybersecurity


When presented with the chance to acquire knowledge, technologists fully capitalize on the opportunity. Fifty percent of technologists express that their enhanced cloud skills have significantly impacted the prompt identification of vulnerabilities within technical solutions. This underscores the crucial link between cloud skills and an organization’s comprehensive security.


Defaulting To A Multi-Cloud Approach

Swiftly upskilling your technologists becomes even more crucial when considering the prevalence of multi-cloud environments. According to Gartner, 75% of organizations intentionally embrace multi-cloud strategies, marking a notable rise from 49% in 2017.

It's logical for technologists to seek a broader understanding of the cloud beyond specific platforms. In fact, the viewership of provider-agnostic courses, such as Terraform and Kubernetes, has surged by 100% across all Chausters’s platforms.


Leaders must provide resources

The default adoption of multi-cloud is becoming the next major trend for organizations. This prospect becomes daunting when you consider that most cloud experts lack the necessary tools or knowledge to manage these intricate solutions spanning multiple public cloud providers. Additionally, multi-cloud environments introduce a complex cybersecurity landscape many are ill-prepared to navigate.


What Next?

Investing in talent is imperative in a global recession rather than an excuse to halt efforts. The demand for technologists, especially those with expertise in cybersecurity and cloud computing, is higher than ever, and this trend is expected to persist. The most viable approach is proactively cultivating tech skills for oneself and the team.


This becomes even more crucial as leaders adopt a multi-cloud-as-default mindset. Technologists now require a comprehensive understanding of various cloud technologies and their implications on overall security. It's no longer a matter of choosing one over the other; technologists must adeptly navigate both realms.


Achieving this requires leaders to provide technologists with the necessary time, space, and resources for effective self-training, ensuring readiness for the next wave of technological innovation.


Chauster offers great solutions
Chauster

Chauster is dedicated to advancing the technology workforce for organizations globally. We understand that the most challenging aspect of building a business extends beyond software and technology development—it involves nurturing the individuals who contribute to your business growth. As your exclusive partner, we specialize in assisting leaders in simultaneously enhancing their teams and products.


Our upskilling and cloud transformation solutions empower you to cultivate the talent you require precisely when needed. Through collaborations with Chauster and Skilldacity, we offer courses authored by experts in the latest technologies and certification preparation.


By upskilling your teams with our comprehensive set of skills, we enable your team to execute strategic objectives that drive innovation, automation, and efficiency. Chauster is committed to supporting your organization in concurrently building better teams and products.




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