Insight & Analysis | by Danny Meadows-Klue
If you're trying to hire, then you'll know the challenge only too well. A massive shortage in the labour market that stretches from Singapore to San Francisco. Wage rates are spiralling, contractors are filling critical gaps, whole departments are understaffed. It's just as big a deal among senior directors, where a whole generation of marketing leaders are struggling to grasp the implications and models of the new channels.
Ask us to walk you through our research | Request a skills assessment
Here at Digital, we've been tracking the skills gap since it reappeared in 2002. We'd hoped it would be closing by now, but instead, across Europe, the Far East and the US, it's widening. Media agencies have told us of having half the headcount they need, traditional publishers tell of losing their best people to start-ups, retail brands highlight concerns about not being able to evaluate campaigns, and it's crippling all their long term strategies.
The bottom line? Training is no longer just about getting better results, in digital it's critical for getting your team mobilised now rather than next year, and increasingly about reducing the budget risks within your digital operation. It's still bleak news for anyone trying to hire, but training can nurture the existing talent you have, motivating your teams and giving career progression. The web has been a victim of its own success. The boom in online media, that unstoppable switch to search engine advertising, this year's sudden arrival of web TV, and the replacement of the highstreet by a combination of Amazon, eBay and LastMinute.com: they've all swelled the demand for skilled people at a rate that massively outstrips the supply. Add in the frenzy surrounding Facebook, MySpace, Web 2.0 and online communities, and there's a new set of skills that even the digital experts are having to learn.
