With the forced evolution in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the processes for how businesses functioned changed drastically. The biggest and most obvious changes were in the remote versus in-person work schedules. Every part of the world was impacted by this shift, even forcing many businesses that previously relied on in-person functionality to shut down permanently. But, as society began to recover from the pandemic, new obstacles presented themselves. The tech industry is one of the most in-demand and affected industries dealing with such obstacles. In particular, the roles of CTOs and CIOs, or Chief Technology Officers and Chief Information Officers respectfully, have faced many obstacles in 2021.
Top Obstacles of CTOs & CIOs
- Finding qualified developers
The number of developers who possess in-demand skills and/or levels of experience far exceeds the number of jobs available. This means that those developers can choose where to work. Furthermore, they know their value in the tech industry, which makes it harder for CTOs, CIOs, recruiters, and so on to obtain their ideal candidates. Such candidates often want a higher pay rate that companies may not be able to provide.
- Recovering economically
As industries start to economically rebuild from the damage caused by the pandemic, some businesses are struggling to do so and maintain their functionality. Those industries will continue to see economic recovery through the end of 2021, and possibly even further than that.
- Varying work systems
While virtually every industry had to shift to primarily remote-based work, 2021 has seen a transition back to in-person schedules. However, there are many industries and businesses within them that have adapted a hybrid system of both remote and in-person work. Still, companies are still shifting, something CTOs and CIOs have to be on their toes about.
- Professional Relationships
Individual- and industry-based shifts made it more difficult to hold onto professional relationships. As some businesses were forced to declare bankruptcy or came close to shutting down, it put a strain on relationships they had with other businesses. CTOs and CIOs felt those changes significantly, as did the companies they work for. Repairing or improving professional relationships continues to be an obstacle and will likely remain that way until the economy fully stabilizes.
Conclusion
The tech industry as a whole has always been in demand. However, the world’s experience with the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as its subsequent recovery, increased that demand. People being stuck at home led to more of a focus on technology, more updates, and more time for businesses in the industry to roll out new features or products. This set into motion an unprecedented rate of supply and demand for businesses in the tech industry. Currently, the tech industry is the most in-demand of nearly all the other industries as society becomes ever-reliant on technology.
With that increased demand comes more obstacles. CTOs, CIOs, and every other position in the tech industry is needed to some degree. While this brings more opportunities for jobs and improved quality, it also opens up many more obstacles for the industry to work through.
