The acute shortage in the labor market threatens to get worse in the coming years. Is IT consultancy the solution?

The acute shortage in the labor market threatens to get worse in the coming years. This is true for many sectors, but certainly also for the IT sector, whose various jobs have been a permanent fixture on the list of bottleneck professions for years. In economically turbulent times, the demand for qualified ICT staff remains high. Various measures are being taken, but the structural shortage remains. That’s nothing new. How, then, as a company, do you tackle this battle for talent? This article looks at the various benefits of working with consultants…
– written by Yuri Pieraerts, Sales Manager at Bizztalent

Companies are thinking creatively and are being flexible in order to attract (and retain) the right people. And that’s good to see! However, not every organization has the “magic formula” to fill its needs. Needs that, in an increasingly digital society, are becoming more and more urgent in order to excel in the core business.

How do you deal with this as an organization? How do you fill IT positions within your team quickly, without losing a long-term vision? IT managers have to juggle with different challenges.

I need an IT-consultant

Is IT consultancy the solution?

For many organizations, working with consultants still appears to be a temporary, short-term solution. And that is precisely the difficult paradox of such a formula.

Although temporary, a strong mix of “internal” colleagues and “external” consultants can contribute to both accelerating the business and building a foundation for the future (read: long term). Why?

1. Quickly switching

As a Hiring Manager, you have to keep more than one ball in the air. You often combine the search for a new IT colleague with the search for different profiles or with other urgent matters that take up space in your agenda.

The result? Those who cannot devote at least 4 full days per week to such a task are always caught up in speed. The pressure on IT increases and important projects are put on the back burner.

However, by taking a specialized partner under your wing, you can turn time to your advantage. A consultancy partner assists consultants in different phases. Two of these phases are important to you: consultants who are looking for a new project and can be deployed immediately & consultants who are recruited with a proactive contract to support you in the short term.

On top of that secondment companies choose a specific niche (at Bizztalent this is for example IT Infrastructure). The network of an IT Consultancy office like Bizztalent is invaluable and is put at your disposal for your specific need.

By deploying an external consultant you relieve the pressure on the current IT team and there is more breathing space for finding a permanent colleague. This also pays off in the long run, because the recruitment process of that internal colleague was not rushed. And we haven’t even mentioned your IT project that has been taken care of in the meantime.

2. Technical expertise

And don’t look at this technical expertise only in IT terms. The technical expertise of an IT Staffing partner extends over various levels.

Level of the consultant: The IT consultants in question bring experience from various projects. These technical competencies can be deployed in your environment to bring a fresh perspective. Are there still specific nuances missing? Then the partner can always address them through training. After all, constant growth is also important and interesting for the IT partner in question.
Level of the IT Staffing partner: A consultancy partner always understands the technical requirements of your IT environment. These nuances are important and must be able to be translated into a concrete search for suitable profiles. The experience of such a partner ensures that you as a Hiring Manager do not have to plough through 10 different CVs to find the right match. By offering 3 to 4 resources, there is usually a good chance of success.

The result? Again time and work is saved by focusing on the core business and letting your consultancy partner excel in his/her area of expertise: matching the right IT expert with your specific environment.

3. Flexible scaling depending on needs

This is perhaps the most important reason why IT consultancy can be seen as a long-term solution.

Life moves fast. This applies to developments within the IT landscape, but also developments in society and, as a result, developments in your organization. (Does anyone still remember the shift to teleworking at Corona?)

A new task package or the reorientation of an internal employee (for whatever reason) is not always an easy task. With an external consultant, you “buy” that flexibility. You get the opportunity to switch more flexibly according to your specific needs. Today and in the future!

So… Is IT Consultancy the solution?

It must be said that perhaps not every organization is ready to work with external IT consultants. There is a chance that your environment is not specifically suited to this. Consultancy is not a quick fix that can just be used when there are shortages.

It is a strategic choice that needs to be looked at from different angles and where the results (as mentioned) can be felt in both the short and long term. Such an exercise is best done by involving various stakeholders within the organization in your discussions with an IT Consultancy Partner.

One fact is certain. The shortage in the labor market will continue to be felt strongly in the coming years and candidates will be more in the “driving seat”. This is forcing organizations to move away from old models and to look for “modular” solutions to always have the necessary talent within their environment.

So gear up and accelerate!