Fifteen percent of businesses in Ireland are planning on making cuts to their IT teams in the next 12 months, according to recent research from Equinix.

This is in contrast to the majority (67%) who will be expanding their IT teams in the next year.

Skills Shortages

The research also found that IT leaders in Ireland are continuing to grapple with skills shortages. 

And, in the last two years, while 57% of global enterprises expanded their IT teams, just 49% of those in Ireland did so.

Talent Retention

The biggest skills challenge facing the IT teams in Ireland is talent retention (cited by 43% of IT leaders). 

Wrong skill sets (39%), changing workforce expectations (33%), along with the speed at which the tech industry is transforming and a lack of available talent (both 32%) were also cited.

The research shows that 59% of IT leaders in Ireland say they are uncomfortable with their existing team’s ability to accommodate the growth in use of AI.

'Pace Of Change'

"The current pace of change will not wait or be sympathetic to those encountering talent shortages," said Managing Director for Ireland at Equinix, Peter Lantry.

"IT leaders must therefore confront this head-on and ensure that if they cannot find the talent they need, they need to nurture it themselves.”

Source: www.businessworld.ie