How to Identify the Skills Gap for Software Developers

The software development field is reeling under a set of juxtapositions:

On the one hand, software developers are in short supply; however, tech hiring is in overdrive. While there is no shortage of tech talent, attracting quality candidates is a big roadblock for recruitment teams. Furthermore, identifying and hiring tech talent is increasingly becoming more time-consuming and difficult.

Needless to say, the software development landscape is undergoing a metamorphosis. And L&D professionals need to increasingly watch out for the changing trends. Here's what research by ICIMS tells us:

• There's a widening technology talent deficit: In the US,  employers were able to hire six for every 10 open tech positions from 2016 to 2019 - as opposed to hiring 12 hires per 10 job openings for all other positions.
• Software app developers are easier to hire: Data further suggests that nearly one-third of all tech hires are app developers, and they are easier to hire. Among the hardest to hire are security analysts, data research scientists, and database administrators.
• It is taking more time to hire developers: Research claims that it is taking an average of 80 days to hire the typical app developer in 2019 - a jump from an average of 66 days. The research conclusively claims that it takes about 50% longer to hire for a tech role than all other types of roles. The biggest lesson for enterprises is that when budgeting, they should budget for at least three months - from the time the job profile gets posted to when a new tech hire gets onboarded.

The writing is on the wall: Unless learning and development teams fundamentally change their approach to hiring developers, the skills-talent gap in tech (and non-tech) roles will continue to widen.

How L&D Professionals Can Identify the IT Skills Gap

If you are wondering whether there's a blueprint or an IT Skills Gap Development Plan that you can leverage to identify the skills gap within your team, refer to the following table. It will teach you about how to get into the mindset of a software developer and craft impactful, value-driven learning and development programs with developers at the forefront.

Note: Start by looking at the components and next steps columns (B and C, respectively). Then, factor in the scenarios listed in column D and ask yourself related questions. If the answer to the questions is 'Yes,' then consider taking the measures listed in column E.

Remember that the end goal is to identify the skills gap and compare it to the ideal position you wish to reach. Using this as your base for tech skills gap assessment, you can build a robust learning program.

Top Tips to Create Learning Programs that are Assessment-Based

In this section, we will learn how Learning and Development professionals can create powerful learning programs to assess, hire, and retain the right talent:

1. Drive on-the-job, hands-on training to boost in-demand software development skills:

There's a growing need within software enterprises to inculcate a culture of continuous learning, which can boost technological innovation. This is where practical on-the-job training for emerging skills can help. In fact, according to 94% of companies, enterprises can gain a competitive advantage by investing more in learning and development and recognizing it as critical to success.

Developers want more opportunities to learn new technical skills on the job. That said, it is critical to understand the top 2 in-demand skills that have emerged as a must-have within the software development sector post the pandemic:

1. Data Science:

A new area called "people analytics" is gaining traction within the Data Science field. If you think mining into HR data is not a valuable exercise, think again. According to research, 70% of company executives cite people analytics as a top priority. Plus, a majority of organizations are investing in people analytics teams. After all, sitting on mountains worth of data without actionable insights is a wasted opportunity. This is where software developers can play an important role in tying data, people, and processes together.

Here are the top skills that software developers need for this area of expertise:

• They should have the right statistical analytics abilities and technical expertise in R, Python, and SQL.
• They should be able to build easy-to-use dashboards and extract valuable people-related insights.
• They should be able to parse data in a unique, fresh manner.
• They should have relevant experience in project management and business analysis.
• They should be able to leverage business intelligence tools to pull the right data to a creative and strategic effect.
• They should have a good working knowledge of the HR field, combined with professional quantitative abilities.

Learning path to becoming a people analytics expert:

While there are many paths to becoming a Data Scientist, individuals can obtain the following degrees to become People Analytics experts:

1. A Ph.D. or Master's in a quantitative field (Physics, Math, etc.), paired with a background in data science
2. A Ph.D. or Master's in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Organizational Behavior, or another social science field
3. An MBA

Oftentimes, people venture into People Analytics from other fields, as this field is quite new. One can work as a Data Scientist and start working with a company's HR data as a side project before pursuing it full time.

According to the Harvard Business Review, the people analytics age is here to stay. As work becomes increasingly virtual and employee-related data (think: behaviour, characteristics, performance, etc.) increases, doubling up as digital records, the role of software developers will come into the limelight. The HR field will need a technological boost with data-driven insights at the forefront.

2. Cybersecurity:

Circling back to the previous point, the pandemic has accelerated the need for enterprises to safeguard their data. In fact, as per IBM's Cost of a Data Breach Report (2021), "COVID-19-powered shift to remote work has had a direct impact on the costs of data breaches. The average cost of a data breach was US$1.07 million higher where remote work was a factor in causing the breach." Needless to say, more and more enterprises are looking to hire cybersecurity software professionals who can effectively defend the enterprise.

Here are the top skills software developers need for this area of expertise:

• The ability to write computer programs that focus on identifying and resolving security issues.
• The ability to design, implement, and test the security software.
• The ability to think long-term, problem-solve, and develop cybersecurity strategies to eliminate potential threats.
• Having an analytical mindset and high ethical standards in terms of soft skills.
• The ability to design foolproof software systems while troubleshooting, debugging, and eliminating any flaws.
• The ability to perform security assessments to gauge the efficacy of the systems installed and drive security management best practices.

Other key hard skills they must have include:

• Security information and event management (SIEM)
• Knowledge of intrusion detection and prevention systems
• Multi-factor authentication
• Threat modelling and reverse engineering
• Digital forensic tools and anomaly detection

Also Read: Here’s Everything You Need to Know About the Cyber Security Talent Gap and Why It Affects You

Learning path to becoming a cybersecurity development expert:

Step 1: Candidates can obtain a bachelor's degree in a computer-related field such as computer science, mathematics, or electrical engineering. They should have in-depth knowledge of the Windows, Linux, and UNIX operating systems and key programming languages such as ASM, C, C++, Java, PHP, and SQL. They should also learn about:

• TCP/IP networking protocols
• IP security domains
• Python in HTML
• CSS, KVM, and VMware hypervisors

Step 2: As there are no entry-level jobs in this field, individuals can start out as systems or database administrators/network or computer software engineers/web developers or administrators/IT technicians.

Step 3: Further, they can get certifications, attend cyber security conferences, and enrol in online boot camps to enter the software development field. They can then do a master's within the cyber security software development field.

Step 4: They can also get additional training and certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

The big takeaway: On-the-job training can reduce instances of technology skills gaps and out-of-context training experience. 

Pro tip: Make sure to introduce chances to apply the learning to drive knowledge retention among software developers. Provide employees [X] dedicated hours of self-guided learning every week. As per research by the Harvard Business Review on Where Companies Go Wrong with (L&D), only 12% of employees apply the new skills learned in L&D programs to their job department workflow.

2. Run a skills audit initiative to create customized development programs: 

Every L&D team should collaborate with the HR team to recruit talent together. They should start by:

- Sizing up the workforce to understand the current capabilities, skill-sets, knowledge, and experience of the employees.

- Optimizing the hiring as well as training budgets to support short as well as long-term training and learning goals.

3. Integrate problem-solving as an essential skill when hiring:

L&D programs that facilitate problem-solving are more valuable than ones that don't. Hiring leaders identify problem-solving skills as most important when recruiting talent, even more, important than programme language efficiency. 

4. Focus on assessment-based learning and development:

Assessment-based learning is critical for driving efficient learning and development programs as it can eliminate bias and scale up quality evaluation. This includes conducting linear technical tests, psychological tests, and so on. All in all, learning and development managers should embrace a holistic approach to skills assessment by including three key components:

A. Aptitude: This component requires hiring managers to evaluate a person's innate skills and abilities, excluding their education and experience.

B. Technical skills: This component requires assessing a candidate's proficiency with a particular skill, task, or assignment. 

C. Human skills: This component includes assessing a person's soft skills such as communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, ethics, and so on.

5. Leverage the right assessment tools to scale learning and development:

Advancements in assessment technology are helping organizations to scale their L&D and recruitment programs. From remote proctoring and multidimensional assessments to career-fit assessments and customized assessment tools, the options are plenty. 

6. Drive a shift in the mindset and create a culture that enables knowledge sharing:

Instead of focusing solely on degrees, there needs to be a greater shift in making the teams more diverse, inclusive, and holistic in every sense of the word. Additionally, it is critical to ensure that the L&D mindset aligns with the business needs, deepens the talent's knowledge as well as skills, and empowers enterprises to stay relevant, despite the changing talent trends. 


Explore this case study to know how iMocha helped Cyient with fastest skill gap analysis.

Pro tip: There are multiple knowledge-sharing formats that L&D professionals can integrate within an employee's training, such as onboarding, mentorship, apprenticeships, and so on.

Let's cut to the chase: When it comes to addressing the Skills-Talent gap in the IT sector, a Band-Aid approach will not work. L&D leaders should focus on thinking long-term to bridge the skills gap and hire talent that's the perfect fit with the company.