Harnessing STEM and boosting skills: ways to overcome talent crunch

Dr. S. K. Meher 
CIO, Department Of Computer Facility, AIIMS

According to a recent report by Nasscom-Zinnov, India is projected to face a shortage of 14-19 lakh tech professionals by 2026. As compared to the current technology workforce in India, which stands at 47 lakh employees (2021), the country needs 52 lakh technology professionals, it stated. This translates to a 21.1% technology talent gap (as a percentage of supply), which is the lowest globally amongst all the leading economies. 

By 2026, as per the report, India is estimated to have 75-78 lakh tech professionals, however the requirement may be of 93-96 lakh techies, reflecting a gap of 14-19 lakh tech workforce.

Means of bridging the Talent Gap
i.              Harness STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) graduate supply:
One of the ways India can position itself as a global technology leader is harnessing the huge STEM graduates supply, which is second highest in the world, next to China.

ii.             Disruptive Technologies Demand Disruptive Strategies for Finding Talent
A new generation of technology jobs has emerged to fit the needs of companies implementing disruptive technologies and working to deliver on their promises. These jobs include data scientists, cyber security specialists, industrial network engineers, mobile app developers and network programmers. To meet future demand, CIOs need to invest in boosting the skills of existing employees to fit those positions, as well as bring in the right new talent and skill sets to their workforce.

iii.            IT degree low amongst the graduates but Digital skills still remain high in coming generation
There are so many people who are not holding a recognized degree of IT but they are having an excellent knowledge of digitalization and very well understand the need of the future and role of technology in achieving the desired target.