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ICT and Skills Shortage: South African Case Study of Retaining ICT-Skilled Professionals
Abstract and Figures
South Africa is currently experiencing a shortage of an estimated 70,000 plus information and
communication technology (ICT) professionals, which is compounded by the fact that the number
of information and communication technology (ICT) graduates is now showing a decline. At an
organisational level, the effective use of ICT for organisational information management is
difficult without having appropriately ICT-skilled (e-skilled) employees. The shortage of e-skills
in South Africa and much of Africa forces companies to work at retaining their existing e-skilled
professionals, but this task is becoming increasingly difficult. Thus, this study established the
objective to explore the factors that contribute to the retention of skilled ICT professionals in one
international consulting organisation in South Africa, which also might bear relevance to other
similar organisations operating in many other African countries. This study aimed to show that
identifying these retention factors would lead to a better understanding of effective ways to retain
much needed ICT-skilled professionals in organisations in South Africa. The findings of this
study can help organisations in South Africa (and possible in other African countries) to
formulate effective retention strategies and also provide a base for further academic research in
this field. This qualitative exploratory research was done by reviewing the pertinent literature in
order to identify relevant retention factors and the subsequent empirical testing of these factors.
For that purpose, a single case study methodology was deployed, embracing three levels of ICT
professional: consultants, managers and directors. The reviewed literature elicited 15 factors
influencing the retention of e-skilled professionals. After testing these factors with 25
professionals at Company A, it was found that the following five factors are the most important
when deciding to remain with the company or not: compensation, promotional opportunities,
empowerment, interpersonal relationships, and personal well-being. This suggested that the ICT
professionals in Company A are overwhelmingly driven by the need for reward and personal
well-being, thus confirming that they predominantly belong to the Theory X type and,
philosophically, to the Rational-Economic beings.
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... In delivering services, IT professionals often encounter clients that are demanding and/or unhappy (Nexus Group, 2018). Increased workloads coupled with emotionally laden encounters potentially hamper performance (Plaatjies & Mitrovic, 2014) to such an extent that it may also lead to negative (or counterproductive) work behaviours (Ceschi, Sartori, Dickert, & Costantini, 2016;Chen, Li, Xia, & He, 2017). These consequences are often not only as a direct result of work-related demands but also because employees suffer psychologically; they are emotionally exhausted and detached from their work (Schaufeli, 2017). ...
... Information technology professionals who are dealing with job demands, such as work pressure and emotional demands, report an inability to perform optimally (Plaatjies & Mitrovic, 2014). Emotional demands were also found to have an impact on IT professionals' performance, as these professionals spend energy on managing their emotions in client interactions and support (Cafasso, 2018). ...
... So, when IT professionals experienced emotional demands, they performed their core tasks better. Although these findings (except for the relationship between emotional demands and CWB) contradict mainstream findings (Cafasso, 2018;Plaatjies & Mitrovic, 2014), it is not surprising if one considers the finer nuances of the JD-R theory. The JD-R theory postulates (1) that job and/or personal resources may buffer the negative impact of job demands (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017) and (2) that job demands can be divided into challenges or hindrances (LePine, Podsakoff, & LePine, 2005). ...
Orientation: Technological advancements are occurring at a rapid rate, and individuals working in information technology (IT) often work under challenging and emotionally demanding circumstances. Also, there is a shortage of IT professionals, and organisations have difficulty retaining them. These circumstances may result in exhaustion and depersonalisation that have negative consequences for the work performance of the remaining IT professionals.
Research purpose: This research aimed to investigate the relationships between work pressure, emotional demands, exhaustion, depersonalisation, task performance and counterproductive work behaviour among IT professionals within South Africa.
Motivation for the study: Research on the individual work performance of IT professionals, specifically in South Africa, is limited in number and scope.
Research approach/design and method: In this study, a quantitative approach was used to collect cross-sectional data from a convenience sample of 296 IT professionals in South Africa.
Main findings: Results from structural equation modelling (SEM) indicated that emotional demands and depersonalisation impacted task performance positively and negatively, respectively. Depersonalisation positively impacted counterproductive work behaviour, and work pressure positively impacted exhaustion.
Practical/managerial implications: Organisations should aim to create awareness of IT professionals experiencing emotional demands, work pressure and depersonalisation as there are consequences for these behaviours. Beyond awareness creation, management should design and implement interventions to optimise emotional demands and to minimise work pressure and depersonalisation.
Contribution/value-add: The study contributes to the limited literature on IT professionals’ work performance within a South African context by providing insights on the role exhaustion and depersonalisation play (or the lack thereof) in explaining the effect of work demands on individual work performance.
... Industri yang berjaya mengadaptasikan IR4.0 dalam operasi mereka akan menikmati pelbagai kelebihan seperti; pengurangan kos, peningkatan kecekapan organisasi, kecekapan dalam membuat keputusan dan meningkatkan daya saing organisasi (Linton, 2018;Palvalin et al., 2013). Sebaliknya, kelemahan penguasaan ICT dalam organisasi akan mengurangkan keberkesanan penggunaan ICT (Plaatjies & Mitrovic, 2014) dan melemahkan daya saing organisasi. Bagi mencapai matlamat ini, pihak industri memerlukan kakitangan yang mampu mengaplikasikan dan mengendalikan alatan ICT seiring dengan keperluan dan kehendak semasa industri. ...
E-kemahiran merupakan salah satu aset penting yang perlu ada pada setiap graduan yang bakal memasuki dunia pekerjaan. Ini seiring dengan cabaran dan keperluan bagi mengguna pakai teknologi terkini dalam pengurusan dan operasi di industri akibat daripada letusan revolusi industri 4.0 (IR4.0). Ini kerana IR4.0 memerlukan tenaga kerja berpengetahuan dan berkemahiran sebagai penggerak utamanya. Kertas kerja ini membincangkan kajian kes penguasaan e-kemahiran yang telah dijalankan ke atas sekumpulan pelajar tahun akhir di Universiti Utara Malaysia. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan pelajar amat sedar akan kepentingan teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (ICT) dalam pembelajaran dan kerjaya mereka. Walau bagaimanapun, ujian praktikal yang dijalankan menunjukkan tahap penguasaan ICT pelajar masih di peringkat sederhana. Justeru, pelajar perlu mengenal pasti kelemahan mereka dan meningkatkan kemahiran sebelum memasuki pasaran kerja.
... Malah penggunaan ICT memberi banyak kelebihan seperti; mengurangkan kos, meningkatkan kecekapan organisasi, meningkatkan kecekapan pembuatan keputusan dan meningkatkan daya saing organisasi di pasaran (Linton, 2018;Palvalin, et al., 2013). Sebaliknya, kelemahan penguasaan ICT dalam organisasi akan mengurangkan keberkesanan penggunaan ICT (Plaatjies & Mitrovic, 2014) dan melemahkan daya saing organisasi. ...
Literasi ICT atau kemahiran menggunakan teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (ICT) dalam kalangan pelajar merupakan salah satu aspek penting dalam pendidikan masa kini. Ini kerana pada masa kini, ICT merupakan salah satu pemangkin utama kemajuan sesebuah negara. Revolusi industri 4.0 misalnya, menekankan pengunaan ICT dalam setiap aspek operasi organisasi. Organisasi yang tidak menggunakan ICT akan ketinggalan dan lemah daya saing mereka berbanding organisasi lain. Selaras dengan itu, pihak industri memerlukan pelajar yang berkemahiran tinggi bagi membolehkan mereka maju kehadapan seiring dengan pesaing mereka. Sehubungan itu, kajian telah dijalankan ke atas sekumpulan pelajar bagi mengukur tahap literasi ICT mereka. Secara keseluruhannya, tahap literasi semasa pelajar adalah baik terutama dalam aspek penggunaan perisian aplikasi. Walau bagaimanapun aspek pengetahuan teknikal seperti memasang dan menggunakan peralatan ICT, tahap literasi pelajar adalah sederhana. Dapatan ini menunjukkan pelajar masih perlu meningkatkan tahap literasi ICT mereka melalui latihan dan amalan ICT yang konsisten sepanjang pengajian mereka di universiti.
... South Africa, like many emerging economies, has a shortage of skilled workers, with a national shortage of approximately 70,000 skilled ICT professionals. At the same time the country is producing fewer ICT graduates, which is compounding the problem [27]. This shortage of skills suggests that an organization's ability to attract and retain IT staff has become a critical factor for achieving the strategic goals of the business. ...
This study investigated the factors that influence South African IT workers' intention to telework. Based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), an explanatory research approach was followed with the objective of determining the influence of the TPB elements namely attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on IT workers' intention to adopt telework. The model was tested quantitatively by means of online survey, for which a total of 120 valid responses were received. The results showed that attitude and subjective norms did not significantly influence IT workers' intention to telework. Instead, perceived behavioral control of IT workers was found significant, which was determined by the availability and cost of the technology, the level of support from employers and the self-efficacy of IT workers. The cost of bandwidth was found a major inhibitors of telework amongst local IT workers. Therefore, addressing the technology and support challenges could improve the self-efficacy of workers with regards to working remotely. Employers should provide financial support to subsidize the high cost of bandwidth in South Africa. This study provides new insights regarding the status of IT workers' adoption of telework in South Africa, thereby contributing to policy and research practice.
... IT roles jumped seven places to the second hardest position to fill globally. Such that, the inability to retain skilled professionals was a major cause of IT staff shortage in South Africa (Plaatjies & Mitrovic, 2014) and Singapore (Weizhen, 2016). To leverage the evolving digital economy, business and public sectors in many countries have tried to find ways to tackle the IT skills shortage issue. ...
This paper aims to provide evidence of what fixes the information technology skills shortage. The focus is on countries' workforce development factors, i.e., human and technology. The research model was tested using secondary data from multiple sources. An ordinary least square with panel corrected standard errors was used to analyze the data. The results indicate that organizations' staff training and gender parity among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates relate negatively to IT talent shortage; this is consistent in both models the authors tested. This study contributes to the IT workforce literature by being the first study that empirically examines the relationships between IT skills shortage and the relevant workforce development factors. Besides, objective measures of IT skills shortage were used, thus overcoming issues that might arise from using the subjective ones, such as counting the number of IT job openings based on predetermined occupation codes. For policymakers wanting to fix the IT skills shortage, the results revealed factors that can help fix the issue in the short term. Future research could examine other factors, such as policy or gender parity in IT careers if appropriate data is available.
... Firms listed on the NSE have put in place effective talent retention practices achieved through a good compensation package, benefits package, and flexible hours to motivate employees to commit themselves to an organisation (Namusonge and Karanja, 2014). Plaatjies and Mitrovic (2014) have identified the factors that contribute to the retention of skilled ICT professionals in South Africa as compensation, promotional opportunities, empowerment, interpersonal relationships, and personal well-being. ...
Increase in ICT investments and new talent management strategies have seen companies adopt ICT outsourcing strategy to improve ICT performance and business value. Best practice in technology solutions requires an organisation to address issues of technology-enabled talent management. The elusive crucial link between ICT Talent Management (ICTTM) and ICT Outsourcing (ICTO) could greatly improve ICT Performance if effectively aligned. This paper developed a best practice model for effectively aligning ICTTM with ICTO for improved ICT performance. This research adopted case study approach amongst staff in HR, ICT and Customer Services functional areas in the Kenyan national power distributor, Kenya Power. Questionnaires were used for collecting data. Descriptive statistics and factor analysis were used for analysis. The findings helped to develop a model which on adoption would contribute to improved ICT Performance and achievement of Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) and therefore enable businesses through improved quality services.
The rapid speed at which technology is changing has led to a volatile business ecosystem. Due to challenges brought by technological disruptions that open doors to various kinds of risks, companies find themselves on the back-foot of keeping up with the change as they race to stay in business. This opens up opportunities for consulting firms as their services are sought after by other entities to address skills shortages or improve competency. This exploratory paper was conducted to get a thorough understanding of how small IT firms (SMEs) manage risks. A case study research design was used together with qualitative methods. The SMEs that formed part of the paper were selected by purposive sampling, with semi-structured interviews being used as the data collection method. To analyse the data, thematic analysis techniques were followed. The findings of the paper show that technology disruptions highly influence the environment of the IT consulting firms. As disruptions sweep through their business environment, SMEs are confronted with various risks that affect their business models, operations and human capital. As a result, SMEs have to deal with financial challenges, more consumer influence and high turnover among the workforce as the aftermath of disruptions.
The Western Cape in South Africa has been earmarked by the government and industry, as a digital hub for Africa. The region has a number of institutions, enterprises and initiatives in place to realise this goal. A study---taking into account the information technology practitioner's perspective---was undertaken within the Cape Town region to determine the promotion of software development within the Western Cape and the role which universities can play in the support thereof. A grounded theory research approach, using both quantitative and qualitative methods was used. This study found that the main stakeholders do not promote the software industry enough. Key initiatives that should be considered include: universities need to configure their curriculum appropriately for industry needs; more awareness around software development should be created particularly at school level in order to attract more students; and universities should build partnerships with industry. At the macro level, government, through policies and funding mechanisms for education and innovation in general, should create an enabling environment to foster these initiatives. Potential hindrances to achieving these initiatives are poor management of academic programmes, underfunding of the sector and a shortage of staff.
This paper presents a renewed thought on the teaching and learning of skills-based ICT networking courses. The increasing number of students in higher education institutions (resulting in large classes), are outpacing the supply of educators and requisite training equipment. Some studies have investigated the introduction and integration of ICT network simulators/emulators as virtual learning environments to foundational ICT networking courses at undergraduate level. However, their studies have not been extended to intermediate and advance course level yet, where higher level cognitive learning takes place. A survey on students' view of ICT network simulators/emulators showed a lack of awareness of choices available to students. An investigation into the learning capabilities and functionalities of two ICT network simulators/emulators affirmed the students' perceptions to an extent. Nonetheless the insufficiency we observed, simulated platforms with their rich virtual learning environment feature sets, provide some degree of learning aid capabilities. As such, there is a need to carefully integrate them as teaching and learning scaffolding elements.
The purpose of this study was to identify the most important variables for retaining information technology workers as their turnover has a range of negative consequences for their employing companies. Data was collected from 239 IT workers across three continents by means of an electronic questionnaire-based survey. The data was then subjected to a number of statistical analyses including factor analysis. The research established that the three factors perceived to most affect the retention of IT workers are, in order of importance; equity and enablement for high performance, a liberated and empowered culture, an effective and interactive communication channel between management and the employees.
The costs of human resources vary across industries, but in knowledge organizations, they typically comprise more than half of total operating costs. The costs of benefits and overhead easily can add another 75 percent to base pay. Although organizations incur HR costs in a number of key areas, one of the most common ones is employee absenteeism. The total cost absenteeism is comprised of three broad categories of costs: those associated with absentees themselves, the costs of managing absenteeism problems, and all other relevant costs. Free, Web – based software is available to do these calculations.
Investing in what is commonly known as human capital, or the organization's people, is a proven way to boost an organization's market capitalization. In a recent survey, 47 percent of CEOs of the companies surveyed believed that the greatest challenge in the new economy is finding and retaining good people. In order to remain competitive, one needs to acquire the capable people, which will determine whether or not you will be successful with your company. Recruitment of staff is a risky aspect and therefore much research and planning is required. The "right" people will not simply come to you. Effectively managed staff are also said to be comfortable within the organization and usually believe they own the business. This is when their commitment and loyalty are at its highest and therefore they rarely try to find a way to depart from the organization. In-house career development and promotion opportunities are considered as highly effective strategies to attract the key staff to an organization. An ineffective strategy identified by South Africans includes creating a sense of fun and informality in the workplace and regular performance feedback. Effective strategies are allowing the people to participate in key decisions and providing them with access to resources and products as and when required. Capable people usually opt for a work environment that allows them the flexibility of learning while employed. Organizations may also look at "job sculpturing", or coaching and mentoring to retain their capable people. Being an "employer of choice" or employer branding is also a strategy employed by some organizations for attracting and retaining human resources. A stimulating and challenging work environment is therefore key.
Research indicates that the total cost of employee turnover is about 150% of an employee's salary. Because of this high cost of turnover, the organization that is the focus of this article sought to understand their employee's turnover intentions and the reasons for the potential turnover. Through a series of surveys, observations, and interviews, it was determined that the location of the company and its compensation package were the most common factors in remaining with the company and that compensation and lack of challenge and opportunity were the most common factors in contemplating leaving the organization. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that most significantly influence employees' decisions to remain employed at a particular organization and possible reasons for choosing to leave. In addition, the study sought to describe the importance of retaining critical employees and developing strategies to enhance employee retention practices. The importance of this issue is demonstrated by the finding that 86% of employers experience difficulty attracting new employees and 58% experience difficulty retaining their employees (Hale, 1998). The results of the current study can be used by organizations to develop policies, practices, and strategies that would enable higher levels of employee retention and create greater efficiencies in meeting strategic business objectives.
There is some debate as to exactly how big the IT talent gap is in America. Information varies according to the source and time of individual reports. A 1998 report by the Information Technology Association of America estimated the gap at 190,000 unfilled core information technology positions. Just two years later, however, that same organization predicted that there would be demand for 1.6 million general (as opposed to core) IT workers in the United States in the year 2000 and that half of those positions would go unfilled. This study estimates the gap at 843,328 unfilled information technology positions. Recent economic trends have invalidated these early predictions and demand has gone down considerably. But the unstable nature of IT demand simply creates more problems. How does a public sector manager maintain a system that is flexible enough to move with market forces?
