Dive Brief:
- Some companies are now looking to Africa to help fill the tech talent shortage, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
- The country’s young, tech-savvy workforce is proving to be a good source of software developers, particularly because of how common mobile technology is on the continent.
- IBM, Loyyal and Andela are some of the first companies engaging African developers in major projects. IBM, for example, is working with developers in Nigeria to help build its data analytics business, according to the report.
Dive Insight:
The labor market for talented tech personnel is growing increasingly competitive. And companies that can’t find the tech labor they need face disadvantages.
A June survey of CIOs and other tech leaders found 65% feel the tech talent shortage is precluding them from keeping up with the rate of digital change and innovation. As a result, tech companies are looking to other countries to help fill the gap.
As Leon Katsnelson, CTO and director of IBM's analytics platform for emerging technologies, told the Journal, young tech talent innovate quickly because they are not interested in "established technology." As companies search for the next best thing in technology, creative sources of tech talent could set an organization apart when its products go to market.
