The Importance Of Solving The Shortage Of Software Testing Engineers – And How To Achieve It
It is no secret that there is a significant talent shortage when it comes to software testing engineers. Last year, Garter revealed that “talent shortage” was on their top 5 emerging risks which businesses face across the world. This risk stayed in their top five for a full year, leading to its removal from the list because it is no longer considered an ‘emerging’ risk.
Talent shortage is now well and truly a real risk to businesses, and finding a solution is more important than ever. Software testing engineers, in particular, are in high demand. The average projected rate of growth for most occupations over the next eight years is 5%, however software development is looking at a growth of a huge 21%.
With a serious shortage of software testing engineers, it is set to have a huge impact on many businesses in the future.
Why Is There Such A Shortage Of Software Testing Engineers?
Having a shortage of software professionals is a fairly new concern and understanding why there is such a talent gap is vital to understanding the impact it is having. There are a few reasons why we are seeing a shortage of software testing engineers;
A New Digital World
The most pressing reason for this talent gap is that the entire world has turned to digital services. Every business is expected to have an online presence. This could be a website, application or their own custom software. Whatever it is, a software developer and software testing engineer is required. No matter the industry a business is operating within, engineering resources are required to help grow their brand presence.
Many years ago, software engineers would only need to worry about websites and custom software, but today with so many mobile devices, there are endless things to consider. This means that software testing engineers need very broad skill sets, or multiple engineers are required for each project.
Code Will Expire
Even once a piece of software is released, it still requires ongoing maintenance and testing. Code will only last a few years before becoming obsolete because of updates and new releases. Software engineers are required to constantly upgrade and rewrite existing programmes, and these all require thorough testing.
Employers Are Looking For Experience
It is a common misconception from employers that they need to hire the most experienced software testing engineers in order to get the best person for the job. The truth is, the world of software development is constantly evolving, and what was relevant in software a decade ago, is completely obsolete now.
Huge amounts of experience in software testing is not a real advantage and does not make up for current, up to date training. This demand for experience has resulted in a battle for highly experienced software testers, which has impacted the shortage.
How Is This Shortage Impacting Businesses?
This shortage in software testing engineers is having a truly negative impact on all areas of business. And it isn’t just businesses that are affected by it, but consumers as well. Here are just a few of the ways that this talent gap is impacting the world;
Operational Challenges
There are many operational implications that the software testing engineer talent gap is having on businesses of all shapes and sizes. With it taking longer than ever for companies to fill technology roles, many businesses are facing large losses in revenue and productivity.
With key positions such as software tester sitting empty for so long, it can negatively affect business operations.
Slow Product Releases
The World Quality Report 2019-2020 revealed that some of the biggest challenges encountered in application development resulted in slow product releases. Too slow testing processes was up 48% compared to 43% the previous year, and the inability to test integrations at early stages was also a key challenge.
Not being able to release new software and applications in a timely manner because of these challenges can be ruinous to a business.
Expensive IT Failures
Without adequate software testing, IT systems are more likely to fall foul to failures which can be extremely costly. IT failure can lead to businesses losing customers and a ruined reputation. Most companies can’t afford to create software solutions that do not meet customer demands.
A report published in 2018 revealed that poor quality software cost a total of $2.84 trillion, and 37.5% of that was from software failures alone.
How To Solve The Software Testing Engineer Shortage?
As the demand for software testing engineers is still on the rise, there are a few ways that this shortage can begin to be solved. More and more businesses need to begin to make non-traditional hires.
For example, instead of recruiters only hiring experienced software testers. Hiring other candidates based on their work ethic or learning capabilities can be a much better business decision. From here, businesses can focus on internal training and professional development, to get new hires to where they need to be.
Investing more into training and development, either as an individual or a business, will dramatically help ease the skills shortage. Ultimately, the only way to close the talent gap is to increase the amount of skilled software testing engineers around. Here at TSG Training, we offer various software testing courses to help software testing engineers gain the qualifications and skills needed to thrive.
Our ISTQB Software Testing Foundation Course is designed for anyone who wants to pursue a career in software testing, It covers the main fundamentals of testing, and during the three-day course, delegates will learn everything needed to pass the exam.
For those who already have some skills when it comes to software testing, and looking to take that next step, our ISTQB Advanced Technical Test Analyst Course is ideal. The online training provides a broad understanding of the role of technical test analyst, with the exam taking place on the last day. UKTB fully accredits these courses on behalf of ISTQB.
