Every day we are moving towards a world that is both more efficient and more digital than any sci- fi cartoon from the 70s could have predicted. One of the forces at the helm of this digital revolution is the creative, design, and web agencies that are facilitating this change for everyone else.
Whether it’s by helping businesses that previously had no digital presence be represented in the digital space or taking established businesses and expanding their opportunities with new online solutions… the role that agencies play is undeniable.
But to try and fuel this innovation, the agencies need a constant supply of developers to fill a multitude of general and specialist roles. And while the demand for developers is at an all-time high, the quantity in both University graduates and self-trained professionals is not even close to enough.
Multiple surveys of over the last couple of years have pointed at a worldwide shortage in developers. The top three issues software businesses face are a mix of:
- Not having enough people
- Sharing experience across seniority levels
- Hiring suitable candidates
With almost 9 out of 10 IT businesses saying that hiring new talent is ”hard” (and 36% calling it ”very hard”), it’s starting to become evident that calling this a developer shortage might be an understatement.
Recruiters often refer to this situation somewhere along the lines of: ’’worldwide developer shortage crisis’’. So if hyperboles are on the table, what if you wanted to make your recruitment even more selective? If you don’t want to settle for just having any ol’ developer, but instead, you want to attract the top talent in the industry, with all the perks they might bring to your agency. Well then, you must be prepared to rethink or tweak some things about the way you operate.
If that sounds like a hassle, or you already have a team filled with top of the line developers, you might want to think about retention instead because employee turnover costs you more than you know, both directly and indirectly:
- Teams that are in constant flux and have an unstable structure are obviously going to be less productive
- The employees that leave are always going to leave with crucial experience/knowledge that is completely removed from the company
- The brand might get damaged from bad reviews on employer-rating sites and word of mouth, or bad press in general
- The cost of losing an employee can range anywhere from 16% to 213% of their annual salary in some cases!
Now that talented developers are more scarce than ever… you might be wondering:
How does one identify this ’’top talent’’? And once you’ve done so, how do you recruit, onboard and retain them?
