Demand for IT skills continues to outstrip supply as tech development accelerates

The IT sector is dependent on the skills of talented individuals no other. Businesses that win the IT race do so not because their people are merely competent – but because they are exceptional. Finding the right people is crucial. Marcin Adamowicz, CEO of GS Services, talks to the BPCC’s Michael Dembinski about IT recruitment trends, and what’s needed to recruit and retain the talent needed to give a business its competitive edge.

Let’s start with a big-picture view of Poland as an IT talent pool – how do you assess the number of IT professionals on the Polish market? How many young Poles graduate in IT from Polish universities each year? How many immigrant workers does the Polish IT market attract? What is the overall trend – is recruitment falling, rising, or staying the same?

Poland is one of the three most competitive markets for the IT industry in Central and Eastern Europe. The good education and preparation of Polish workers and graduates in IT-related fields, high scores of students in educational surveys like PISA, and strong English language proficiency are all appreciated. Unfortunately, the number of graduates is decreasing, and this trend is visible among graduates of all disciplines, not just technical ones. However, in the IT sector, formal education is not always a necessary requirement. Many specialists in the market do not hold a degree from a technical university, yet they are excellent developers and high-level programming experts.

Regarding the number of immigrants working in the industry, it is increasing year by year. Two trends can be distinguished here – one involves immigrants who come to Poland and decide to settle in our country. The other trend is related to Polish IT companies hiring foreigners, sometimes involving their relocation to Poland. However, remote work has changed the market significantly, and very often, if we look at the data on the number of foreign employees in a company, a substantial percentage of them work from outside of Poland.

Answering the question about recruitment trends, there is a noticeable difference compared to the previous year, as most companies have reduced the number of recruitments. However, it is essential to remember that there is still a shortage of IT specialists, so even though the number of vacancies may be lower, there are still many positions to be filled. Additionally, the IT industry experiences high employee turnover, so despite the decline in new vacancies, there are still many job offers as companies need to fill the emerging gaps.

How is Poland perceived by global corporations in the context of other countries when it comes to IT talent?

Opinions and perceptions of Poland as an IT talent hub may vary depending on the specific experiences of different global corporations. It is important to consider all aspects when assessing the country’s perception in the context of IT talent recruitment. There are universal factors that contribute to this perception, including the growing IT market in Poland, the level of education and skills of IT specialists – including language proficiency – and the cost of labour. All of these factors have led to the emergence of ‘tech hubs’ in some cities such as Krakow, Warsaw and Wroclaw, attracting numerous technology companies and start-ups, and drawing talents from different locations, also facilitating market entry or opening of Polish branches of corporations.

In the case of remote work, where there is no need to invest in developing a Polish branch, Poland stands out among other countries, mainly due to the quality of work provided by our specialists, their excellent proficiency in foreign languages, especially English, and lower labour costs. Rates are relatively lower than, for example, a specialist living in London or New York, partly due to the lower costs of living in Poland compared to the UK or US.

What motivates high-end IT talent other than just financial remuneration? What elements are sought after in a typical package – if there is anything like a ‘typical’ package these days? How flexible must an employer have to be to accommodate to the requirements of top IT talents?

There’s definitely no such thing as a typical benefits package anymore. Employers often test various options, and much also depends on whether it’s a 100% remote, hybrid, or in-person job. In the second and third options, different amenities come into play – from the possibility of bringing pets to the office, relaxation rooms, to the option of ordering specific meals for employees on certain days of the week. For remote work, there are other benefits that can also be tailored for in-person employees – such as insurance, private healthcare, cafeteria systems, training programmes, or the ability to choose equipment.

However, when speaking with our candidates, we notice that what motivates them most to change jobs, apart from better salaries, is the nature of the project, the tasks to be accomplished, the end-client industry, and the recruitment process itself. Let me briefly describe why each of these factors is essential.

One of the first questions developers have regarding a project is the percentage of work dedicated to development and maintenance. For a significant majority of experienced professionals, participating in a project that is still in the design phase or just starting its development process can be a deciding factor. The industry for which the project is being organised also proves to be crucial. If a candidate is interested, for example, in the automotive industry and learns that the project is related to it, they are much more eager to participate in the process.

Another crucial factor is the recruitment process itself. Candidates want to know early on how long it will take, how many stages are planned, and what each of them will involve. The shorter the process, the fewer stages, and, above all, the faster the feedback after each stage, the greater the chance of hiring a good candidate. We always inform the client, right at the stage of recommending a specific candidate, that they are already involved in several other recruitment processes. So, if they are interested in that candidate’s profile, they should act quickly.

Nearly all the jobs listed on your site are for remote work – has this become the ‘new normal’? How important is the ability to cooperate with other team members in this world of remote work? How can employers create a shared sense of purpose among a workforce scattered across numerous locations?

Remote work was already present in the IT industry before the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the pandemic caused even those companies that had never considered giving up on in-person work to switch to remote mode. It turned out that this change often did not affect the quality of work and offered greater possibilities in hiring individuals whose recruitment was previously much more challenging, leading to higher costs. Remote work itself varies across different projects. In my opinion, there are no universal rules that apply to every team. It is essential to listen to team members, communicate with them, address issues as they arise, strengthen team bonds, and look for common characteristics. Therefore, the selection of individuals managing projects, teams, or entire departments is crucial, as their soft skills enable them to delegate tasks effectively, provide feedback, and resolve conflicts when they occur. On the other hand, candidates considering participating in the recruitment process often inquire about the percentage of daily work time spent on meetings – from their perspective, the fewer, the better. However, having a large number of frequent calls doesn’t necessarily make the team more cohesive or work more efficient. Perhaps it sounds time-consuming, but understanding the team’s needs and taking an individual approach that aligns with the company’s organisational culture is the best solution that pays off in the long run.

Other than experience with ‘hard’ coding skills, what other factors are you looking for when recruiting tech talents for your clients?

Of course, it all depends on the client. The number of companies that only care about technical skills is currently very small and getting smaller each year. In 95% of the job descriptions we receive from our clients, soft skills are also required or preferred, regardless of whether it’s for project managers or developers. During meetings with hiring managers, these aspects also come up, and if not, we inquire about them ourselves. The most common soft skills requested are communication, teamwork, or broader experience in working with international teams. It’s quite different when recruiting for positions like team leader or tech lead. Here, the list of desired soft skills is almost as long as the hard skills because they play an equally important role. From our experience, the candidate’s communication skills, creativity, and critical thinking abilities are the most important. During interviews, our recruiters ask various questions, aiming to get to know the candidate as well as possible, not only from the perspective of their technological stack but also their motivations – why they are leaving their current position, what they value in the next one, the teams they worked with, their motivations for work, and what challenges they faced. Such interviews, although often quite lengthy, are also laid-back and much friendlier for the candidate. Additionally, they allow us to present the candidate’s profile better to the client, resulting in a faster process and better fit.

What tech trends are currently driving the talent market – AI, cloud computing, big data, cybersecurity or mobile apps? Has the appearance of Chat GPT, and GPT4-powered technologies, led to changes in the specific skillsets demanded by employers? Which specific skills have been most affected?

I think that, contrary to appearances, there is no single main trend, although currently, the most frequently discussed topic is, of course, AI.

AI continues to be a major driver in the tech industry, with applications in various sectors such as natural language processing, computer vision, robotics, and data analysis. Demand for AI specialists, machine learning engineers, and data scientists remains high.

Cloud technology has revolutionised how businesses store, process, and manage data. Cloud engineers, architects, and administrators are in demand as companies migrate their infrastructure and services to cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. In this area there is a continuous demand for new specialists, which remains large.

With the massive amount of data being generated, companies require professionals skilled in data analysis, data engineering, and data visualisation to extract valuable insights and make data-driven decisions.

The problem of cybercrime is becoming increasingly serious. As the number of cyber threats continues to rise, the need for cybersecurity experts, including ethical hackers, cybersecurity analysts, and information security managers, has grown significantly.

Mobile technology remains a critical aspect of the tech industry, driving demand for mobile app developers and UX/UI designers with expertise in building user-friendly mobile applications.

In summary, each of these technologies is significant, and the demand for experts in this field continues to grow. Speaking with our clients from different parts of the world, I can see that this trend will not change. Technology development is very fast, and the demand for specialists is growing much faster than the supply.

Regarding the appearance of Chat GPT and GPT-4-powered technologies, it’s reasonable to assume that they would have an impact on the specific skillsets demanded by employers. As these AI models become more sophisticated and prevalent, employers may seek candidates with expertise in natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, and AI ethics to work on developing, implementing, and fine-tuning such AI-driven technologies.

In addition, the rise of AI-powered automation may lead to a shift in demand for certain skillsets. For instance, certain routine tasks that were previously done manually may now be automated, potentially reducing the need for human intervention in those areas.

How do you see the future of AI – the hype we saw around the launch of Chat GPT has largely subsided, but fears remain – especially around how AI will displace white-collar jobs in sectors such as accountancy, customer support, data entry/processing, legal services and administration? 

The future of AI is undoubtedly promising, but it also comes with both challenges and opportunities. As you mentioned, the initial hype around AI, particularly around language models like Chat GPT, has subsided to some extent as people gain a more realistic understanding of the technology’s capabilities and limitations. However, AI’s impact on various industries and the fear of job displacement are still significant concerns.

It’s true that AI and automation have the potential to disrupt certain job roles, particularly those involving repetitive and rule-based tasks. Sectors like accountancy, customer support, data entry/processing, legal services, and administration may see some level of automation and job transformation. However, it’s essential to remember that AI is also creating new opportunities and job roles in AI development, data science, AI ethics, and human-AI interaction, among others.

The goal of AI should be to augment human capabilities rather than completely replace jobs. By automating mundane tasks, AI can free up human workers to focus on higher-level cognitive activities, creativity, problem-solving, and innovation.

To address the challenges of job displacement, it’s crucial for individuals and organizations to invest in upskilling and reskilling programs. This will help workers adapt to the changing job landscape and equip them with skills that are more valuable in an AI-driven world.

As AI becomes more prevalent, it raises ethical concerns around privacy, bias, transparency, and accountability. Proper regulation and ethical guidelines are necessary to ensure that AI is used responsibly and for the benefit of society.

AI also holds great potential for addressing societal challenges, such as healthcare, climate change, and education. Emphasising the development of AI for social good can help alleviate some of the concerns and demonstrate the positive impact of the technology.

In conclusion, the future of AI will largely depend on how we as a society choose to develop, deploy, and regulate the technology. While there are legitimate concerns about job displacement, there are also opportunities for AI to enhance productivity, drive innovation, and solve complex problems. Striking a balance between adopting AI responsibly and investing in human capital through education and upskilling will be key to maximising the benefits and minimising potential negative consequences.