Introduction

Talent management—the ability to consistently recruit, hire, train, and retain qualified people—is a challenge for all employers of technology professionals. The demand for technology talent exceeds supply in almost every sector of the economy because technology talent is now an integral part of almost every business—from farming to pharmaceuticals, from software to supply chain logistics.

First, the average annual number of tech job postings since 2012 has been 2.7 million per year, and in 2021, that number ballooned to 3.6 million. The average replacement rate for tech jobs is projected at 7% annually, or more than 400,000 jobs, meaning that the anticipated tech workforce needs will exceed 6.1 million by 2032. 

Second, the entire U.S. college and university production of science and engineering degrees in 2019 was only 1.1 million degrees including associate, bachelor, master’s, and doctoral programs. Science and engineering degrees include astronomy, chemistry, physics, atmospheric sciences, earth sciences, ocean sciences, mathematics and statistics, computer sciences, agricultural sciences, biological sciences, psychology, social sciences, and engineering. Less than 15% of these degrees are in computer science. The supply of new, degreed tech talent is woefully short of the jobs posted.

Meanwhile, 70% of tech job postings include a requirement for four-year degrees. Apprenti and other adult reskilling programs in the U.S. have consistently demonstrated that most tech jobs do not require a four-year degree. They instead require certifications and work experience. By inflating academic requirements in a job posting, employers screen out 63% of the U.S. talent pool, almost 70% of the Black workforce, almost 75% of the rural workforce, and nearly 80% of the Hispanic workforce.

The 2021 average wage in the U.S. was $58,000. The demand-supply imbalance and the reluctance of employers to shift away from arbitrary degree requirement inflation has led to poaching talent as the primary source of recruiting. The 2021 average wage of a tech worker in the U.S. was 1.7X higher at $100,000. In addition to salary inflation, there are other consequences associated with this talent imbalance:

• Hindering U.S. industry productivity and competitiveness in the global marketplace

• Slowing advancement of technologies required for securing U.S. data and infrastructure

• Hardening the barrier to career entry for women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups

The solution to this dilemma is clear. In 2022, there are roughly 6 million unemployed in the U.S., plus another 6-8 million underemployed. Many of these discouraged workers hold at least a two-year degree and many can be trained to perform the millions of tech jobs currently unfilled in the U.S. economy. This has been proven time and again by adult reskilling programs, coding bootcamps, IT training programs, and apprenticeships. 

Apprenti is one of the leading adult reskilling programs in the U.S. We offer a registered technology apprenticeship that helps adults reskill in a full-time job and begin a successful technology career. Due to the demographic challenges in tech, Apprenti focuses on helping women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups to gain access to careers in tech. 

Learn more at www.apprenticareers.org.