Only 9% of IT work is done by AI and automation
81% of chief information officers expect that their IT teams will grow this year, a new survey shows. This come after big tech companies earlier this year laid off tens of thousands of technicians having hired too many during the pandemic. Measuring the impact of artificial intelligence, the survey found 56% of the tech work is done by full-time staff and just over 9% is done with the help of technology advancements such as automation and AI.
Only 14% expect their IT staff to decrease and 5% expect their headcount to remain the same, the survey from market research firm Gartner shows. The survey comprises North America, EMEA and APAC region.
Only 4% of CIOs surveyed reported AI-augmented workers as a resource producing technology work today.
67% of large enterprise CIOs plan to grow their IT headcount in 2023 by at least 10% to support their enterprise’s digital initiatives. The LE segment consists of enterprises with a total annual revenue of USD 1 billion or more.
While CIOs are looking to expand their IT teams, many have faced roadblocks in hiring due to economic conditions, the survey says.
Due to economic volatility, 41% of LE CIOs report slow hiring for IT roles, 35% report decreasing overall IT budget and 29% report an IT hiring freeze.
“CIOs are taking proactive steps to combat economic volatility by relaxing geographic and role requirements to expand their IT talent pipeline,” says Jose Ramirez, Sr analyst at the company.
“Some organizations have found success by hiring early-career technologists and providing upskilling opportunities to fill critical technology needs.”
Full-time IT employees perform 56% of the work, while technology advancements such as automation and AI-augmented work account for just over 9% of work today.
“This reliance on full-time employees to meet the demands of digital transformation explain why LE CIOs plan to increase IT headcount in 2023,” Ramirez says.
The report says the most important candidate qualities LE CIOs look for are having the requisite technical skills, soft skills (e.g., communication, relationship management) and cultural fit.
They cite cybersecurity, cloud platforms and customer/user experience as the three most critical technical skills in 2023, the report says.
Nearly half of LE CIOs plan to invest in training programs to upskill and reskill IT staff to ensure teams have the relevant roles, skills and capacity to meet enterprise objectives.
46% also plan to establish fusion teams, and the same percentage plan to automate workflow to free up IT time.
“Recruiting the right IT expertise takes time and planning, especially for skills in architecture, cybersecurity, cloud computing and agile software development,” said Ramirez. “Ensure that IT has relevant roles, skills and capacity to meet enterprise objectives. This may require embracing a blended workforce model of IT and business domain roles.”
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