Although every year thousands of graduates enter the IT workforce, employers constantly struggle to find the right candidate, noted Zoe Sullivan, consultant for IT & telecommunication at recruitment firm Hudson.
"The mismatch between the demand and supply of IT professionals in Hong Kong is quite high," she said. "On a scale of one to five, the mismatch in Hong Kong is about level three."
With minimal headcounts supporting growing businesses, most enterprises in Asia respond to changes with limited resources. As a result, IT candidates need both hard technical skills and soft communications skills--a blend that's far from common.
"The shortage of IT professionals is a known fact within the industry," said Sunny Lee, president of Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS). "Employers face a shortage of qualified IT staff because of the mismatch between staff competency and employers' requirements."
Training mismatch