Companies hold the key to solving their tech talent shortages
Technology is transforming work for millions, while global talent shortages continue to grow. Organizations that fail to adjust risk leaving their workforce underutilized and unprepared for future challenges. Careers are no longer a single, linear trajectory but dynamic journeys with many pivots and routes. It's time to re-design skilling pathways making them more transparent, personalized, and responsive to the evolving world of work.
Pearson's latest Skills Outlook uses the tech sector as an example to show how businesses can unlock trapped value by automating and augmenting tasks. If business leaders think creatively and proactively about how to upskill and redeploy their existing talent, pursuing a strategy of ‘role redesign’, they can address urgent skills gaps while boosting job security for valued employees.
By 2029 those working in key tech roles could save around a day a week by using new technologies effectively for certain tasks.
LLM chatbots (such as Copilot or ChatGPT) and RPA for Internal Processes (software robotics) hold the greatest potential to save time for the roles we looked at.
For this report, we focused on five in demand, high value job roles within the tech sector workforce – which is facing a significant impact from technology, alongside growing shortages of skilled workers. We used our tech impact modelling to look at the future impact of 34 emerging technology types on 76,600 granular job tasks in the next five years.
Redesigning jobs at a task level can unlock the hidden value in existing workforces
Employers have a real opportunity to reallocate this saved time to more strategic, innovative, or higher-value work. The challenge is in identifying what those tasks are for each role, how they will help boost business performance, and how best to develop these skills to get the maximum value from their workforce.
Replacing staff is not likely to be the most effective strategy for employers in the shifting work environment. Instead, redesigning job roles down to the task level and then providing tailored training to upskill employees in critical areas will unlock significant amounts of trapped value within existing workforces.
Impact of technology on five key tech sector
roles by 2029
- 5.8 hours per week could be saved with effective use of technology
- RPA (Robotic Process Automation) for Internal Processes has the biggest potential impact on this role, for the following tasks:
- Correcting errors in existing software
- Performing software system maintenance
- Re-allocate time to: More creative, strategic elements of development – such as architectural design and security enhancements
- 7.7 hours per week could be saved with effective use of technology
- LLM Chatbots have the biggest potential impact on this role, for the following tasks:
- Rewriting programmes
- Updating and maintain computer programmes and software packages
- Writing computer programmes and software packages
- Re-allocate time to: Complex algorithm development, AI oversight or system architecture
- 6 hours per week could be saved with effective use of technology
- LLM Chatbots have the biggest potential impact on this role, for the following tasks:
- Providing technical guidance for the development of systems
- Providing technical guidance for troubleshooting in systems
- Advicing on design concepts
- Re-allocate time to: More strategic responsibilities, such as overseeing system integration, compliance with industry standards and long-term planning
- 7.6 hours per week could be saved with effective use of technology
- LLM Chatbots have the biggest potential impact on this role, for the following tasks:
- Providing assistance to customers or users in solving computer or programme related malfunctions
- Re-allocate time to: More advanced analytics, such as predictive analysis, system optimization and process improvement.
- 8.8 hours per week could be saved with effective use of technology
- RPA for Internal Processes has the biggest potential impact on this role, for the following tasks:
- Maintaining project reporting systems
- Performing file addition/backup/deletion activities on networks
- Re-allocate time to: More focus on network innovation, resilience and scalability.
How can Pearson help?
Learn how Pearson can help organizations rethink their talent strategies with future-focused insights down to the task level, data-led talent planning, and tailored learning.
Five high-value tech roles were selected by finding the most common roles in the ICT job family which earn an above-average wage for ICT jobs.
Pearson’s tech impact modelling was applied to these roles at a task level, modelling the future impact of 34 emerging technology types on each of 76,600 granular tasks. The tech impact shown is for a 5-year outlook from 2024, using projected adoption rates in each country’s ICT industry.