Overcoming the Shortage of Software Engineers

The US has suffered a shortage of software engineers in recent years, exacerbated by both the pandemic as well as what's been coined 'the great resignation'. As a result, businesses looking to place software more centrally to their strategic goals are in a dilemma. How, in their race to digital-first success, can they harness the power of software without elite software development talent? In short, they can't. So, to tackle this growing problem they're in need of new ways to build and scale their tech teams.

To outsource or not to outsource... that is the question

Outsourcing is one of the ways that have traditionally helped businesses to add to their existing teams, or to build new ones. Essentially, they're a separate team of software engineers located in a cheaper destination that have been sourced, tested, and recruited by a third-party vendor. Sometimes these are called software houses. Aside from the obvious cost benefits of salary and premises prices, the day-to-day running of the team is handled by someone else. But, this can lead to a loss of control over the development of products and services. It's not their team, and any upskilling and expertise is established outside of the organisation. Should that partnership come to an end for whatever reason, they've lost that capability. It's certainly a viable alternative to local hiring during a shortage of software engineers , but as highlighted, it comes with downsides.

Offshoring is similar in that it's also a team of developers based in another location. The difference is, the people are a complete part of the organisation. Full-time employees of the business and not outside help. As a result, there's more control over development and the engineers are invested into the success of both the products they work on and the overall success of the business. Now, this is possible on your own. But, it's often advised to partner up with a team-building expert 'on the ground' who can help to source viable candidates, administer tests for both technical and soft skills, assure cultural fit, and manage local legalities and administration. As a way to overcome the US shortage of software engineers it's a more sustainable and value generating model, when compared to traditional outsourcing.

Solving the shortage of software engineers

Both outsourcing and offshoring provide an alternative method of building and scaling team teams to navigate the hurdles presented by the shortage of software engineers in the US, Canada, Western Europe, as well as Australasia. Popular locations for both of these types of teams are often in Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. Where a business chooses to go depends on a multitude of factors around skills required, costs, as well as the type of organisation you choose to work with. As mentioned, with outsourcing this is often known as a software house. In offshoring, it’s often referred to as an ‘offshore partner’. Out of the two, an integrated offshore team is a high-value investment and can be leveraged as a strategic asset, beyond simply solving the shortage of software engineers.


Source:https://articles.abilogic.com/579101/overcoming-shortage-software-engineers.html