The No. 1 method CIOs use to supplement a skills gap at their organization is tapping contractors or consultants, according to a joint survey by IT outsourcing service provider Harvey Nash and professional services firm KPMG.
For the IT leadership survey, Harvey Nash and KPMG asked nearly 4,000 CIOs and technology leaders across 84 countries about their attitudes toward various aspects of their careers, including budget, technology and workforce priorities.
Here are seven methods IT leaders indicated they use — either to "some extent" or to a "great extent" — to fill the skills gaps at their organizations:
1. Contractors or consultants to fill the skills gap: 85 percent
2. Outsourcing or offshoring to supplement the internal team: 71 percent
3. Automation to remove the need for headcount: 67 percent
4. Apprenticeships: 50 percent
5. Proactively targeting underrepresented groups: 43 percent
6. Cross-training nontechnology people into technology roles: 49 percent
7. Acquiring small companies with needed expertise: 21 percent
To access the 2018 Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO Survey, click here.