More than ever, the world is running out of developers

The recent wave of downsizing in technology companies will not last long, as the demand for technological know-how, such as artificial intelligence (AI), is only intensifying.

And above all, if AI can help companies to cope to some extent with the shortage of applicants, especially for the most mundane tasks, the demand for qualified professionals will continue to grow in the coming months.

This is according to Brent Hayward, CEO and general manager of the MuleSoft division of Salesforce. I met Mr. Hayward at the recent Salesforce meeting in New York and he gave me his point of view on the changing landscape of technological skills.

Alleviating skills shortages

“There are not enough developers in the world,” he said. “We have already reached the pace where application development far exceeds the ability to recruit developers.

According to Hayward, the complexity of today’s environments also contributes to this dynamic: “It is almost impossible to be a complete developer. There are too many technologies. And what courses do you have to take over the course of a lifetime to find out how all these technological layers work?”

The employment figures in the United States confirm Mr Hayward’s assertions. “Demand, especially for people with technological skills, remains favorable,” Deloitte analysts report in the Wall Street Journal. “For employees in the information and technology sector, the demand is particularly high. There were 41,000 more hires than layoffs in January, with 99,000 job openings.”

While innovative AI and automation technologies may mean that companies need more highly skilled talent, these emerging technologies can also help alleviate skills shortages.

AI will help to level the playing field

AI and automation can perform low-level integration tasks, shifting developer tasks to the level of “auditing and validation,” Hayward said.

As part of this process of enriching skills, he said that AI would help to standardize the rules of the game: “We will realize that in low-code, no-code, and even pro-code scenarios (editor’s note. high-code), we give everyone the best knowledge”.

At the same time, human talent will remain the key to implementation. “I don’t know if it will ever replace the most competent and experienced developer you have,” he said of AI. “This is an opportunity to level the playing field and bring the lowest common denominator to the median level. There will be fewer errors, fewer problems, and you will be able to build to scale more efficiently”.

According to Hayward, the challenge for companies – and this is where technological talent will remain in high demand – is “the need to connect this backend, this pro-developer integration and these system automation models with more modern, task-based workflows.

These two worlds mix. While the world lacks developers, the world also has more and more very intelligent people who use applications and know the data model. These worlds coming together, we are witnessing a very powerful paradigm shift”.

Source: “ZDNet.com “