How Low-Code Can Solve Your Software Developer Shortage

This is evidenced in a Harvey Nash & KPMG report where over 60% of CIOs state that improving business processes and increasing operational efficiencies are key business issues that the board is looking for IT to address.

However, the very same report found that 67% of CIOs cite a skills shortage as the reason it is difficult for their companies to keep up with the pace of change.

In the U.K., a survey by Robert Walters on the tech talent shortage found 70% of employers are experiencing a shortage, with the greatest shortages felt in Yorkshire (73%), London (62%) and the North of England (55%).

The BBC back this up with recent news that the U.K. is heading towards a “catastrophic digital skills shortage disaster.” Young people being turned off the prospect of digital work, including software development, means the current talent shortage is showing little sign of abating.

Meanwhile, in the United States, a November 2019 report from CNBC News compared the number of open tech positions with the pool of applicants. According to the insights, there were approximately 920,000 available positions with only 165,000 potential applicants to fill them. That’s including annual graduates from coding boot camps and computer science programs in the talent pool.

Gartner confirms that this reality is affecting companies, with a report on emerging risks. The report lists talent shortage among the top five risks in the second half of 2018, with 63% of senior technology executives stating the shortage of software developers is a key issue.

The shortage of software developer talent is bad news for innovation and digital transformation projects, which can put heavy workloads on an organization’s developer resources. After all, they now have a series of significant projects to deliver on top of their existing tasks. This can lead to developer burnout, which brings drops in wellbeing and productivity. As a result, timelines may extend beyond what was originally predicted and coding errors become more likely.

Organizations keen to press on with transformation and digitalization projects may hope to recruit additional resources. However, there is currently not enough skilled developer talent to go around. And for those who are trained in the latest coding skills, competition will be fierce.

Needless to say, it is not a legitimate option to halt innovation or continue to delay transformation projects either. As your competitors push forward, you simply cannot afford to hit the pause button. Therefore, enterprises must look for alternative solutions to the problem caused by the lack of developer talent.

The use of a low-code platform can give ambitious enterprises a way to drive transformation and accelerate innovation, despite the developer talent gap. This is because, when it comes to developer resources, low-code enables you to do more with less.

A low-code platform automates and streamlines key functions so that you can deliver new apps quickly.

You can develop powerful software without your developers getting bogged down in the more tedious aspects of development. The low-code platform will automate the code creation for many of the elements the new app will require. You become able to not only accelerate the delivery of the app itself, but to keep your developers free so they put their time and efforts into true innovation; helping them to avoid burnout and stay engaged in meaningful work.

Moreover, the best low-code platforms enable collaboration between subject matter experts, business analysts, and developer resources – with optimized screens for every role. Your business teams can easily map out the process flow with drag & drop tools while IT is assured that no development takes place outside governance.

The software developer shortage will continue to affect organizations of all sizes as they attempt to keep up with changing technology and emerging market demands. However, you can leverage the benefits of a low-code platform to help tackle the talent gap. You will be better equipped to drive transformation and innovation throughout your company, with collaboration fostered across existing teams that can provide the right skill sets for your company’s needs.