InformationWeek

September 20, 1999

Challenge For CIOs: Find And Keep IT Talent

s if improving customer data quality weren't enough to keep them busy, IT executives also have to cope withretaining skilled staff in a fiercely competitive job market, and with keeping up with the pace of change in a rapidly transforming business climate-two issues that didn't even make the top 10 in last year's InformationWeek Priorities survey.

But their impact is being felt. The faster pace of change in the industry is the No. 1 reason why 76% of IT executives surveyed by InformationWeek Research are updating their priorities list more frequently. In terms of staffing, most CIOs have gotten used to doing more with less: Of those surveyed, 56% reported little change in today's vacancy rate compared with a year ago.

Niraj Patel, CIO at GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corp., says he is five full-timers short on his 77-person staff-but he has no problems finding contractors for short-term projects. "What's tough is finding the 'in-between' guys who know technology and the business we're in," Patel says.

At Insurance Holdings of America Inc., CIO Jim Barry is seeking ways to keep the company's 55-person IT staff current with technology changes-and loyal to the company. Barry's formula is for each staffer to achieve certification in an area of expertise. The company pays 100% if people gain certification on the first or second try.

It may not be surprising that, according to the survey, companies with $1 billion or more in revenue have a much greater need for IT staff-about 20% have openings for 11% or more of their IT positions. Fully 61% of these large companies have openings for 1% to 10% of their IT workforce.

Staffing issues at Trinity Regional Health Center in Rock Island, Ill., haven't improved in the last year, though CIO Will Weider hasn't lost anyone, either. He now has 17 IT people and no vacancies. But hiring problems may arise as the company expands-Trinity recently bought a hospital and is building new clinics. New hires are hard to find in traditional ways, Weider says. So far, he's successfully brought people into IT from elsewhere in the company-people with business acumen who can learn the technology. "It's worked well for us," he says of his last two hires. Also, to help with Y2K efforts, Weider turned to summer interns, some of whom he's bringing on as full-timers.

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