IT consulting leaders need to level-up in 2023 to meet the big challenges of the talent arms race

Purpose With almost 95% of employers in the tech space experiencing a skills shortage, it is vital that IT consultants act now to futureproof their own skillsets to ensure they can provide business support services in the future. This paper aims to outline precisely how consulting businesses can overcome this industry challenge. Design/methodology/approach The author draws on his first-hand industry experience and third-party research to highlight how IT consultancy firms can futureproof operations and safeguard against major skills shortages. Findings During the course of research, three key industry challenges were uncovered and addressed. These provide the basis of the paper and focus on intelligent automation to transform operations, the reallocation of resources to support hybrid working and evergreen cloud automation supported by Managed Services Providers to mitigate against cybersecurity risk. Practical implications This paper aims to guide IT consulting businesses seeking to counteract industry challenges by ensuring a strong digital infrastructure. The desired outcome of this paper is to encourage businesses to take the necessary next steps to become digitally mature enough to bridge the skills divide. Originality/value This paper comes during a period when businesses are being negatively impacted by supply chain shortages and economic downturn, as well as skill shortages. It provides a digestible checklist of the support that comes from a strong digital backbone and how this will help IT consulting businesses address the future of work challenges today.