We must take advantage of our junior consultants

After rain comes sunshine, and that also applies to the IT market. But how should we prepare for the sun?

The recession has contributed to the closure of several projects, which means that many consultants are now without assignments. This in turn leads to clients becoming more specific in their requests and often requiring experience in niche methods and very high seniority requirements.

A consequence of reduced assignments and more available consultants is that younger talent suffers, as senior consultants are more sought after. We hear several examples of large consulting companies that have junior consultants available where they will or have already had to lay off most of them to cope with the increased costs. I am concerned that the opportunities for less experienced consultants to enter the market will be very difficult. Our forward-looking IT industry risks losing the new generation of IT consultants.

The market will eventually turn around, but how long it will take is anyone’s guess. The day it does, new projects will be created again and demand for IT skills will increase. The problem is that we will then be left without growth in skills. Together, we – customers, IT suppliers and consultancy intermediaries – must push for more junior consultants to be commissioned even during times like these, so that we do not risk being left with a large skills gap when the market turns around and the sun shines again.