technologies.

Concern about the lack of available talent in the tech sector should come as no surprise at this point — after all, they're nothing new. Back in 2019, for example, nearly four out of five executives said they were concerned about the lack of qualified talent to fill existing tech roles. That concern is around today, but now it's just one of many human capital concerns tech employers face.

From the unprecedented demand associated with high-value tech roles to the impact upskilling and reskilling can deliver to the imperative for improving EDI&A and more, let's unpack four high-level trends that will be top of mind for tech employers in 2022.

Today's hiring market has job seekers in the driver's seat as never before, and nowhere is that more apparent than when it comes to tech roles. In fact, it's practically impossible to overstate the extent to which demand for tech professionals has skyrocketed in recent years. For proof, just consider the following figures, which chart increases in the number of job postings during the past four years for various tech specialties, from one Bain report:

• DevOps positions: 443 percent increase
• machine learning positions: 417 percent increase
• software engineering positions: 69 percent increase
• data science positions: 67 percent increase

High as those numbers might seem, the longstanding talent scarcity in the tech sector isn't about to end any time soon. So if you think the trend toward infinitely intensifying demand is going away, think again.

The flip side of that, unfortunately, is that retention woes will likely continue unabated in the tech space. Especially given broader marketplace trends — such as the recent uptick in average wage increases for employees who change jobs, for example — it stands to reason that many employers will be hard pressed to hold on to high-value tech resources in 2022.

Creating talent, rather than finding it, will be among the most effective ways for tech employers to counteract chronic talent shortages in the tech space in the year ahead. In fact, perhaps that's why 42 percent of executives indicated that they planned to unveil new upskilling and reskilling initiatives in 2022. That's a positive sign — and the rationale for doing so should be clear enough.

For starters, there's a demonstrated link between successful upskilling and reskilling initiatives and overall employee retention, which remains a thorny challenge in the tech space (as noted above). Studies show that nearly three out of four workers would be much more engaged at work if employers allocated additional resources to learning, development and training programs. Absent those programs, however, organizations will face negative consequences in turn. In one survey of tech employees, for example, "limited career progression" was cited as the primary reason that 41 percent were considering leaving their jobs.

One final point to bear in mind around upskilling and reskilling: These initiatives, like everything else your enterprise is gearing up for in 2022, should be built with flexibility top of mind. Think: platforms and tools that are available on an on-demand, platform-agnostic basis to employees, whenever and wherever they want them. That's the best way to enable your team members to grow in their careers and prepare for the future without feeling constrained.

Need one more reason to redouble your focus on upskilling and reskilling — and to generally do everything you can to advance your learning and development capabilities, and promote and advance talent from within? In that case, look no further than "hyperscalers," or large enterprises looking to expand across multiple verticals.

The outsized scale of these behemoths means that they have outsized access to resources — and despite being relatively new to the tech talent ecosystem, they have significant clout among candidates. While the dynamics of supply and demand have long been imbalanced in the tech talent market, hyperscalers' incursion into the space is yet another turn of the screw. And as these companies gobble up larger and larger shares of available tech candidates, they're going to create unprecedented talent acquisition headaches for even the largest legacy companies in turn.

While the conversation about equity, diversity, inclusion and access (EDI&A) has been going on for years in tech, 2022 may well prove to be a tipping point. Why?

For one, because moving the needle on EDI&A so clearly aligns with what the tech workforce wants that at this point it should be regarded as a core business objective. For example, there's the fact that nearly half of tech workers would consider moving to a different company if it had a more mature EDI&A strategy in place than their current employer — and leading organizations appear to be responding. Google, for example, announced an initiative to increase the percentage of underrepresented groups on their leadership team by 30 percent in the next few years, while Johnson & Johnson has committed to increasing their percentage of Black vice presidents and managers within the company by 50 percent by 2025. With companies facing higher levels of scrutiny around EDI&A plans and outcomes, what's more, many will feel pressured to disclose EDI&A-related data about the composition of their workforces. All of which is a recipe for more progress around EDI&A in the tech space than ever before.

At this point, in other words, it seems tech employers recognize that implementing high-impact EDI&A initiatives is much more than just the right thing to do. Rather, with demand for tech talent approaching a fever pitch, these organizations understand the importance of embracing broadly inclusive hiring practices. Casting the widest-possible net — and perhaps tapping the capabilities of a proven talent partner — is going to be the best and most viable talent strategy for most tech employers moving forward.

• From hard-to-find DevOps experts to business-critical data scientists, the demand for value-adding tech pros is going through the roof, and the size of the candidate pool isn't keeping pace. So expect these tech resources to continue to command sky-high salaries, even if they're working remotely — and even as serious retention challenges remain.
• Rolling out robust upskilling and reskilling initiatives will be among the most viable paths forward for tech employers struggling to acquire talent in the external market. It can also be an effective bulwark against attrition as well. Look for upskilling and reskilling to take center stage.
• "Hyperscalers" — large enterprises looking to expand across multiple verticals — have become major players in the tech talent landscape, and they're creating a host of talent acquisition challenges for legacy companies. This is only going to intensify in the year ahead.
• Moving from talk to plans, action and measurable outcomes around EDI&A is going to be table stakes for today's most competitive employers — and be a differentiator when it comes to the relative strength or weakness of many employer brands. But the tech workforce has clearly voiced its preferences in this department, and the risk of attrition is going to be high for any company that doesn't toe the line. In other words, it's time for tech employers to finally move the needle on EDI&A.

Let's review the salaries for entry-level, mid-level and senior-level positions.