Right now if you’re a .NET developer or an architect you can comfortably sell yourself to the highest bidder, but what will the ‘hot’ skills of tomorrow look like?
 
Looking at the current technology trends, these are the factors we believe will shape the dream candidate of the future:
 
Shortage of qualified resources. The GFC has seen organisations redirect their spending to core business areas, sometimes at the expense of spend on Information Technology. There is a potential flow-on effect that students may not take up Information Technology disciplines and thus a potential “gap” may appear in the marketplace for some skillsets in the short term.
 
Vendor partnering. The GFC has created the disappearance of some software and technology vendors; organisations will need to be mindful of the stability of those they partner with.
 
Job automation and off-shoring. Both of these factors have an impact on the economy of the future. Each business needs to recognise the impact of the offshore trend and be mindful of how it will evolve in the coming years. Organisations need to develop a resource plan to allow for and accommodate this trend where appropriate. Equally, job automation may well reduce the staff levels required for some business, and each organisation should begin to plan for and realise the benefits of job automation over time.
 
Evolving skillsets. Economists almost universally believe in something called the "Luddite fallacy" – which basically says that advancing technology will always create more jobs than it destroys: technology will never cause widespread, long-term unemployment. To date this is true: but will it continue to hold true indefinitely? If so, organisations will need to create a resource roadmap based on the potential technology use to determine the talent they need and their plan for attracting and retaining it.
 
Keeping up with emerging technologies. The speed at which we can expect technological change to occur is unknown. What is known is that in the coming years and decades further rapid change will be upon us. Skillsets must keep pace with technological change and as such; organisations must create resource plans and sourcing strategies for key talent with new technology experience to “stay ahead of the pack”.
 
When social networks mean business. Organisations need to consider the likely social impacts of advancing automation technology. The speed with which people communicate, the type of information that can be shared, and the way technology changes the way people interact is a key human resources challenge for any organisation. Many social networking applications are currently deemed to serve limited business value (i.e. Facebook), but how do organisations adjust to new norms of communication such as this whilst maintaining optimal business performance?
 
Kate Hart, National Account Director, M&T Resources, Oct 2009