A recent survey by the German IT industry association Bitkom has shed light on the efforts of large companies in Germany to counter the shortage of IT professionals, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence. According to the survey, five percent of companies reported taking measures to bridge the gap in AI talent, primarily in software development and IT administration. A significant 21 percent of companies with over 250 employees are already using AI, followed by 12 percent of those with 50 to 249 employees, seven percent of those with 10 to 49 employees, and two percent of those with up to 10 employees.
However, the survey suggests that AI is only one of the measures companies are taking to address the shortage of IT professionals. Every third company (35 percent) is investing in training programs to qualify employees from other fields, while every fourth (24 percent) is hiring external talent. Sixteen percent of the companies have programs in place to retain older employees, and 13 percent are implementing recruitment and support measures for women. Interestingly, nearly a third of the surveyed companies (32 percent) are not taking any measures to address the IT talent shortage at all. Overall, roughly a third of the companies surveyed believe that AI can mitigate the IT talent shortage in Germany.
The survey, conducted by Bitkom Research, polled 852 companies with at least three employees in Germany between the 38th and 43rd calendar weeks, via phone interviews.