Many countries have been experiencing skills shortages or “brain drains” of technical talent for years. But global events since 2020 have exacerbated an already tight market. What happened?
Firstly, as borders slammed shut and expatriate workers returned to their home countries to avoid being locked out due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the available talent in many locations rapidly reduced. The talent that remained could suddenly command much higher salaries for the same job functions, and smaller businesses or those on a tight budget just couldn’t compete.
The pandemic also caused many people to reconsider their life priorities. Job losses in some sectors left people looking for a sea-change or a tree-change, with thousands fleeing the cities for a quieter and more economical lifestyle. Many, whose jobs could not be performed remotely, sought new careers that could be accommodated outside of the traditional city-centric roles.
Several countries have tightened their immigration laws, making the importation of talent – now that it’s possible post-pandemic – almost impossible, leaving thousands of jobs unfilled.
And finally, the war in Ukraine applied more pressure on economies and certain job functions. Eastern Europe has long been a source of offshore talent, but with challenges around this region, the costs of these resources have skyrocketed as they similarly seek lifestyle changes or just safety and security.
How can you navigate these difficult times, and talent shortages in order to offer your clients the services they need, without pricing yourself out of the market? The best option is to partner with a larger MSP, or an outsourcing firm that specializes in servicing MSPs, to tap into their economic advantages.
If you have a small team providing after hours support, but they aren’t completely busy, you are likely paying an unnecessary premium for the shifts, not utilizing the talent completely, and potentially keeping dissatisfied staff on your payroll. Dissatisfied with their shifts and dissatisfied with the lack of career development or opportunities available in your small business.
Partnering with a larger MSP that white labels their services means you can be assured your clients are getting the best support available, while keeping the costs low. Firms that specialize in MSP style support don’t utilize call-center staff to take and dispatch calls, but talented technical staff motivated to resolve problems at the first level. And because they service numerous MSP clients around the globe, they can tap into talent markets in low-cost locations, with excellent English language capabilities and economies-of-scale pricing models.
If you’d like to chat to us at 24×7 Advantage about your resourcing challenges, we can recommend a number of different options depending on your needs, your client profile, and your budget.