The IT Skills Glitch: Level Up or Lag Behind

You've probably noticed it. That frantic search for tech talent – the data scientists, the AI whisperers, the cloud gurus, the cyber defenders. It feels like finding a needle in a haystack, right? The IT skills shortage isn't just a buzzword; it's a real headache impacting projects, innovation, and bottom lines. Around 70% of companies are feeling this pinch.

But while we often point fingers at hyper-speed tech evolution (looking at you, AI!) and education systems struggling to keep pace, there's another crucial piece of the puzzle flying under the radar: Where did all the Gen X tech workers go?

Decoding the Glitch: More Than Just New Tech

Sure, the tech landscape is morphing faster than ever. AI is rewriting job descriptions, cloud platforms are constantly evolving, and cybersecurity threats demand ever-sharper skills. Keeping up requires relentless learning, and yeah, sometimes formal training lags behind what the industry needs right now.

But add this to the mix: a significant number of experienced Generation X professionals (those born roughly between 1965 and 1980) seem to be quietly exiting the tech workforce. Why?

• The Burnout Factor: Years in high-pressure roles, coupled with the 'great resignation' ripples and the constant demand to do more with less, are taking a toll. Burnout is real – reports show around 65% of employees still feel it – and experienced pros might decide enough is enough.
• Career Plateaus & Upskilling Gaps: Maybe the upskilling opportunities aren't aligning with their career stage, or they feel overlooked for new, exciting projects in favour of younger hires. If growth stagnates, experienced talent looks elsewhere, sometimes outside tech altogether.
• Seeking Different Priorities: After decades in the industry, some Gen Xers might be looking for better work-life balance, passion projects, early retirement, or roles with less relentless pressure.
• The Experience Drain: When these seasoned pros walk out the door, they take decades of invaluable experience, problem-solving intuition, and often mentorship potential with them. This isn't just a skills gap; it's an experience gap.

Help Wanted: Today's Tech Wishlist (and Yesterday's Know-How)

The demand is fierce for skills in:

• AI & Machine Learning: From prompt engineering to algorithm training.
• Data Science & Analytics: Making sense of the data deluge.
• Cloud Computing: Expertise across AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.
• Cybersecurity: Protecting against ever-evolving threats.
• Software Development: Building and maintaining the digital world.

And let's not forget crucial soft skills: problem-solving, adaptability, critical thinking, communication. Ironically, many departing Gen Xers possess deep foundational knowledge and critical thinking skills that are the bedrock for mastering these newer specializations.

When Talent Tanks: The Ripple Effect

The impact of this combined tech evolution and experience drain is clear:

• Stalled Projects & Innovation: Teams lack the bandwidth or expertise.
• Increased Costs: Hiring is expensive (replacing someone can cost 50-200% of their salary!), and reliance on contractors mounts.
• Team Strain & Burnout: Remaining employees pick up the slack, leading to more stress and potential turnover.
• Loss of Mentorship: Junior team members miss out on learning from seasoned veterans.

Fixing the Glitch: It's Time to Adapt

So, how do we tackle this multi-faceted skills glitch? It requires a mix of strategies:

1. Embrace Continuous Learning (Seriously): Companies must invest heavily in upskilling and reskilling their entire workforce. With estimates suggesting 40% of workers will need reskilling due to AI alone in the next few years, this isn't optional. Provide accessible training, workshops, and career paths.
2. Value Experience & Combat Ageism: Don't let seasoned Gen X talent feel overlooked. Offer them meaningful projects, leadership opportunities, and targeted upskilling that respects their existing knowledge base. Ensure hiring and promotion practices are age-inclusive.
3. Rethink Flexibility & Retention: Can roles be adapted for better work-life balance? Are benefits competitive? Sometimes retaining experienced talent means adjusting the environment to meet their changing needs.
4. Smarter Recruitment: Use better tools (even AI!) to find talent, partner with educational institutions to shape relevant curricula, and broaden the net to diverse talent pools, including those looking to re-enter the workforce.
5. Knowledge Transfer: If experienced workers are planning to leave or retire, implement robust knowledge transfer and mentorship programs before they walk out the door.

Level Up or Lag Behind?

The IT skills shortage is complex, fueled by rapid technological shifts and significant demographic changes, including the departure of experienced Gen Xers. Ignoring either part of the equation won't solve it. For companies, it's about investing in their people – all of them. For individuals (Gen X included!), it's about embracing lifelong learning. The future of tech depends on bridging this gap, valuing experience, and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to level up.

Will AI Be The Death of Tech Innovation?

As a Gen X'er I got to experience the heart of the tech evolution. One thing I was being one of the biggest drivers in innovation was the curiosity we collectively had to understand how things worked, how we could make them better, or how me could make them our own. We didn't settle for white box PCs, we didn't settle for the every day version of Windows or settle for mediocre Apps. Not matter what it was we were always tinkering with settings, making changes to styles, or ripping things apart and upgrading them. 

With today's modern user friendly, or dumbed down, technology that "just works" I often wonder how or where new innovation will come from. That curiosity and drive to explore or tweak things seems to have faded away. In cases like operating system such as Windows 11 and macOS (even iOS) the drive to make them as user friendly as possible also meant hiding or restricting easy access to many settings and tweaks most of us geeks loved to tinker with. That lack of control has seemingly meant many of the younger generation have given in to the dumbed down user experience and don't bother learning the things we took for granted.

AI Takes The User Out of The Experience

With AI infiltrating almost every aspect of our lives. It feels like we are taking the user out of the equation. We are taking the fundamentals of our tech experience for granted and unlearning many of the things we once had to do on our own. We are essentially trading ease of use over practical and applicable knowledge. So with that I now ask myself is are we killing off the curiosity and drive that once pushed newer generations to create truly innovative products? 

AI is on the cusp of taking over the day to day activities and instead of learning how it works, why or how it accomplishes the things it does, we have generations just willing to accept that it is "just working" or that it did what they wanted well enough that they don't need to learn how to get more out of! So again instead of the user interacting and building their own better experience or being curious to see if they can find a better way. We see them being complacent and settling for what they have. So what does that mean for the future of tech innovation if we are willing to simply settle? 

Tech Innovation Has Become Stagnant and Stale

If we look at a few markets collectively - TVs, Cell Phones, PCs - where we once made fairly big leaps we are now stagnant in any actual innovation. TVs have certainly gotten bigger and the quality of their image or resolution has grown. We've certainly seen a transformation in how we use our TVs, but is there really an innovation there? You are now basically using them as a replacement for a PC. Cell Phones again, we are almost 20yrs into the smartphone market and short of foldable displays (tech specs and those details aside) what real innovation have we seen? 

The iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phones today truthfully don't do much more than the original devices released all those years ago. They have of course increased in size and increased in capability, maybe added a few more sensors, but that is about it. PCs have shared a similar trajectory. We were supposed to see great innovation in lower heat/power consumption, better overall performance and at lower costs. We've of course seen some major leaps in raw power (with massive increases in power consumption) but when compared to the 20yrs before we haven't seen anything earth shattering.

The question begs to be asked. Where will tech head from here and who will be the driving force to move it forward? If users are becoming complacent and not demanding true innovation and just accepting the minor upgrades we see now. The what inceptives do tech companies like Apple, Google and Samsung have to push out their truly mind blowing tech?  

Workers Clearly Hate RTO Mandates

It should come as no surprise that today's workforce dislikes having a boss or manager constantly looking over their shoulder or micromanaging their day-to-day activities. Combined with work-life balance concerns, the desire for a quieter and less stressful environment, and cost savings on commuting and childcare, many employees are resisting the return-to-office (RTO) demands of their companies. In fact, a survey of 1,000 U.S. workers revealed that one in six employees (16%) would quit if forced back to the office, while 40% believe returning would reduce their job satisfaction.

The pushback against RTO policies has taken various forms. Some workers are outright quitting, others are "quiet quitting," and still others are "coffee badging," a practice where employees make it appear as though they’ve met their in-office requirements.

According to the survey, a large portion of the younger generation would either ignore RTO requests entirely or leave their jobs rather than return to the office. Two in five employees feel that a return to the office would decrease their job satisfaction. Of those willing to return, 96% have stated they would seek carefully selected incentives to make the transition worthwhile.

The debate between remote workers and management teams has been ongoing for some time. Remote workers argue that they are just as productive and capable of completing their tasks efficiently. In contrast, management teams claim that distractions at home negatively impact the quality of work, as well as the availability and focus of remote workers. At least one recent study seems to support management's concerns.

Fortune Magazine recently reported that nearly half of Gen Z workers oppose returning to the office because it would prevent them from binge-watching their favorite TV shows during work hours. According to the article, 84% of Gen Z workers admitted to streaming shows and movies while working from home, and 53% confessed to delaying work to finish a show they were binge-watching. These findings are based on a survey of 2,502 adults who stream videos at least one hour per week.

Concerns about productivity hold some merit. Additional studies indicate that millennials and Gen Z workers are the most likely generations to engage in “fauxductivity”—a term describing fake activity to appear busy. Over 30% of respondents from these generations admitted to faking productivity, according to a 2024 survey of 3,000 full-time employees in the U.S., U.K., and Ireland.

Does this justify the distrust employers feel when they can’t closely monitor workers outside the office? Perhaps not. Many believe these trends stem from deeper workplace issues, such as professional and personal stressors, burnout, overwork, and disengagement.