What’s up with the growing cloud engineer gap?

Why is the tech industry grappling with a significant cloud engineer shortage despite an abundance of talent?

This article will uncover the complexities behind this gap, highlighting the essential role of cloud engineers and offering practical strategies for companies looking to bridge this crucial skills divide.

In this piece, we’ll explore:

• The underlying factors of the cloud engineer shortage.
• The indispensable role of cloud engineers in today’s tech ecosystem.
• Effective tactics for recruiting and retaining cloud engineering talent.

Let’s unravel this complex issue and explore some solutions.

The tech industry’s current state

The tech industry has recently found itself navigating in a sea of contradictions. On one hand, there’s a seemingly healthy job market with low overall unemployment rates. Yet, the last few years have seen widespread layoffs.

So, what’s driving these mixed signals? And why is there an issue, specifically, with finding cloud engineers to fill open roles?

The knowledge gap

The cloud engineer shortage is a systemic issue requiring multifaceted solutions, suggests Daniel Wolken, a talent acquisition specialist at DailyRemote. He boils it down to a combination of high demand for specific skills and the challenge of keeping up with rapid technological advancements.

The rapid pace of cloud technology evolution means that what was relevant a year ago may no longer apply today. This highlights a critical challenge: the rate at which cloud technologies evolve outstrips the pace at which engineers can upskill.

This gap is not just about the quantity of candidates; it’s about the quality and relevance of skills in the market. Employers have to assess not only technical competency but also the candidates’ ability to adapt and grow with evolving needs.

The education gap

According to Wolken, the educational system also struggles to keep up with the evolving demands of cloud technologies, creating a skills gap.

“Formal education programs are having difficulty keeping up with the breakneck speed of evolution in cloud platforms and tooling,” he explains. “Curricula struggle to maintain relevance, and freshly graduated engineers lack some of the latest high-demand abilities.”

The academic system is notoriously slow at adopting changes in curriculum that reflect real-world needs. And with the rapid rate of change in cloud technology, this is more evident and impactful than ever before.

The over-hiring trend

Remember that we’re still dealing with the lasting effects of COVID-19. Organizations that were dragging their feet on digital transformation suddenly had no choice but to jump on the bandwagon.

This caused a pandemic-induced hiring boom, which has led to a saturated market and triggered mass layoffs in an effort to correct itself.

The increasing importance of cloud engineers

“Cloud platforms are becoming increasingly critical infrastructure for companies in all sectors,” shares Gauri Manglik, CEO and Co-Founder at Instrumentl. “Migrating workloads to the cloud and optimizing them requires specialized expertise that takes time to develop.”

Cloud engineers are tasked with designing, implementing, and managing cloud-based systems — roles integral to the functionality and security of an organization’s IT infrastructure.

Their work enables businesses to leverage the scalability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of cloud solutions. However, the rapid advancement of cloud technologies means these professionals must continuously adapt and upskill to stay relevant.

This ever-increasing reliance on cloud solutions underlines the severity of the cloud engineer gap. Without adequate professionals in this field, companies risk falling behind in innovation, efficiency, and cybersecurity.

The effects of the cloud engineer shortage

The implications of this gap can’t be overstated.

“Most critically, an absence of expert cloud architects and developers slows the deployment of new products and services,” explains Wolken.

“Project timelines get extended without personnel equipped to properly leverage cloud-native capabilities. Knowledge gaps also introduce security risks related to misconfigurations, system vulnerabilities, and data breaches,” he continues. 

“Lack of monitoring and automation expertise heightens risks of performance issues or costly outages. Deficits in scalability skills lead to suboptimal solutions.”

If the difficulty of hiring cloud engineers persists, Lilia Tovbin, CEO and founder of BigMailer.io, foresees more companies outsourcing cloud engineering tasks to offshore teams. 

“While this could help fill immediate gaps, it comes with important considerations,” she cautions. “Offshoring raises concerns about data security and communication barriers due to language and cultural differences.”

According to Wolken, vendor lock-in presents another downside for organizations lacking in-house cloud mastery. An overreliance on outside consultants breeds dependence and reduced flexibility. 

“Making architectural decisions becomes difficult without internal cloud experts weighing tradeoffs and guiding strategic direction. Costs also swell when third-party contracts fill the void left by unfilled headcount.”

Lastly, “a continued shortage in skilled cloud professionals might also encourage companies to automate more functions, potentially leading to a shift in the types of jobs available in the tech industry,” shares Alari Aho, Founder of Toggl. 

“While automation can increase efficiency, it also requires a workforce skilled in managing and maintaining AI and machine learning models, potentially exacerbating the skills mismatch.”

Strategies for hiring cloud engineers

Addressing the cloud engineer gap requires innovative and proactive strategies.

To address the lack of skilled cloud engineers, companies can implement the following strategies.

1. Recruit creatively: Expanding channels beyond traditional job boards to networks like GitHub can help access untapped candidate pools.
2. Offer competitive compensation packages: Providing attractive payment packages that include competitive salaries, perks, and benefits is crucial for attracting and retaining top cloud professionals.
3. Invest in training programs: Offering training programs focused on cloud skills to existing employees enables them to upskill and fill the gap. Companies like Amazon Web Services, Google, and IBM have initiated such programs to equip individuals with the necessary skills.
4. Provide hands-on experience: More than simply providing cloud certifications is needed. Training programs should incorporate hands-on experience to ensure individuals are adequately prepared for cloud engineering roles. Apprenticeships and earn-as-you-learn models give students practical experience.
5. Hire from within: Companies can address the skills gap by retraining and upskilling existing cloud professionals. By investing in the development of their current workforce, businesses can bridge the gap and retain skilled employees at a faster rate.
6. Promote work-life balance: Emphasizing work-life balance through benefits like flexible work arrangements, remote work options, mental health support, fitness reimbursements, and generous parental leave can help retain tech talent.
7. Build a strong employer brand: Purposeful employer branding that showcases the company’s culture, values, and mission attracts top talent. Highlighting the impact candidates can make within the organization is also essential.
8. Create a supportive culture: Fostering a culture of transparency, collaboration, and support within the organization is crucial for retaining cloud engineers. Providing visibility into ongoing projects, setting clear goals, and promoting collaboration are key aspects of a supportive culture.

Here’s the bottom line: “Closing the cloud skills gap will take a coordinated, long-haul effort from industry and academia. But smart, creative recruitment and talent development moves can help tech companies get by for now. Companies that invest in people today will have the cloud talent they need to drive innovation tomorrow,” shares Conor Hughes, an HR consultant and contributor at SMB Guide.

Looking ahead

The implications of this talent shortage are far-reaching. “We’re likely to see a continued rise in the salaries of cloud engineers, making the field highly competitive,” explains Maksym Lushpenko, Founder and CEO of Brokee, a Cloud Engineer Assessment Platform. Additionally, the demand for cloud consulting services will increase as companies seek external expertise to fill internal gaps.

Educational institutions and training programs must also shift from a purely research-oriented curriculum to one emphasizing practical, hands-on skills that align with industry demands. “This shift is already underway, but it needs to accelerate to meet the growing need for cloud expertise,” Lushpenko continues.

Companies looking to hire cloud engineers should not only invest in external talent acquisition but also in developing their existing teams’ cloud capabilities. Lushpenko believes that this dual approach will help mitigate the talent gap and ensure that organizations remain agile and innovative in the face of technological advancements.

For more tech industry insights, read our 2024 State of the hosting industry report.