Digital Leadership Report

Skills shortage less intense

This year sees headcount growth expectations decline, jumping from an all-time peak during the pandemic to something more in line with the decade prior to the pandemic. The focus for organisations has moved from growing headcount, to retaining, engaging and building the effectiveness of their existing teams. The scarcest skills are data engineers, enterprise architects, software engineers and technical architects.

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Hybrid working improves diversity

Six in ten organisations now have a policy for employees to be in the office at least one day per week with larger organisations more likely to have such policies. Hybrid working continues to improves diversity with digital leaders who limiting office time to one or two hiring 27% more women than their peers with five-day mandates. Great news for those with caring responsibilities, and one day this might benefit as many men as women.

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AI – a new Wild West

The arrival of large-scale generative AI has led many to believe we are at a tipping point. But four in ten are unprepared for the implications of generative AI, and there are clear concerns on regulating it, as well as issues with data privacy and data accuracy.

Our respondents wholly acknowledge that AI requires heavier regulation. Nine in ten assert this, but most believe that regulation will not solve the issue.

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Budget caution, but investment remains

Budget growth expectations have dropped from last year. But after the hyper growth that we saw both during and coming out of the pandemic, technology spend and investment in people could be seen as returning to more ‘normal’ levels.

Almost half of digital leaders expect their overall technology budget to increase during the next 12 months – a figure that’s broadly in line with pre-pandemic years.

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Digital Leadership Report

Skills shortage less intense

Hybrid working improves diversity

AI – a new Wild West

Budget caution, but investment remains

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