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• The dearth of developing talent in India has the potential to worsen further in times to come.
• Higher pay, remote or flexible working environments, as well as better benefits, are among the main factors that motivate people to leave their jobs, especially for young developers.
• 18% of respondents also cited the lack of time and resources to work on projects as a major challenge.

The talent shortage in tech jobs continues to be a big problem for most countries around the world. In Southeast Asia, the talent shortage in technology jobs has led some governments and organizations to offer these jobs to foreign talent, especially for roles such as technology developers.

India, which is known for its tech talent, continues to see most of its tech developers relocate to Southeast Asia or other parts of the world in search of better job opportunities. Recognizing this, Indian companies have also improved their job postings to retain employees, hoping to avoid a shortage of employees.

Reports show that India has over 1.67 million app developers and is expected to be the largest developer population center by 2024, surpassing both the United States and the European Union.

Despite this, a recent survey by DigitalOcean Holdings has shown that India’s developing talent shortage may worsen further in the coming times. India is already investing heavily in its tech industry, offering intensives and the like to international tech companies to establish their hub in the subcontinent.

A shortage of talent, especially developers, could lead to the country facing a huge void to fill in the future, given the importance of these roles in the industry.

According to the report, just over a quarter of developers who have been working globally for more than a year have started a new job in the past year, and 42% of those who have not considered or could consider quitting their jobs this year. . By comparison, in India, 32% of the same cohort started a new job this year, and 44% of them didn’t think about it.

“Attracting and retaining developer talent is changing rapidly and businesses must adapt to the new landscape. Companies need to better understand developers and give them the tools, benefits and compensation they need to succeed – business survival in the digital age depends on it,” commented Gabe Monroy, Chief Product Officer at DigitalOcean. .

The report also showed that 27% of developers with more than a year of experience started a new job in the past year. One in five developers with 15 or more years of experience also started a new job in the past year. 64% of those with less than a year of experience and 32% of those with 1-5 years of experience left their jobs recently. In comparison, only 21% with more than 15 years of experience have done so.

When it comes to reasons for leaving their current position, many said that compensation, remote or flexible work environments, as well as better benefits, are among the top factors that motivate people to leave their jobs, in particular. especially for young developers. 18% of respondents also cited the lack of time and resources to work on projects as a major challenge, and 11% cited the departure of team members as a challenge, showing that the shortage of development talent affects even those who remain in office.

Open source, emerging technology influencing the talent shortage?

For most developers, open source is a lifesaver when it comes to developing new applications and solutions. The report showed that 56% of Indian respondents have participated in open source projects in the past year, and 71% of those respondents say their participation has increased during the pandemic.

However, only 12% of respondents say they have been paid for contributing to open source projects, compared to 20% of all respondents. This, while 67% agree or strongly agree that individuals should be paid for their open source contributions, and 79% think companies should spend more time on open source contributions.

When asked what they gained from contributing to open source, developers said they improved their skills (35%), networking (19%) and job opportunities (11%). While developers in India reported improved skills (37%), networking (23%) and job opportunities (10%). In fact, 64% of companies use open source code for more than half of their software.

However, most companies don’t give their developers the time or compensation to contribute to open source projects. 79% of developers want to be able to contribute to open source during the workday, and a majority believe they should be paid for those contributions.

Another interesting fact is that despite the buzz around blockchain and Web3 technologies, 67% of developers are not yet using blockchain/Web3. They also have mixed opinions about low-code – developers with fewer years of experience are more likely to see the value of low-code, while those with more experience think low-code is overrated.

Usage of containers and serverless architecture is slightly lower in India than overall, with 55% saying they use containers, container orchestration systems and microservices, compared to 68% of all respondents. 32% use a serverless architecture, compared to 44% overall.

A slightly higher percentage in India is using or planning to use blockchain (AI/ML) technologies and automation. 55% of those in India versus 33% in the total sample are already using blockchain technology. Additionally, 13% of Indian respondents believe they will use open source for blockchain technologies in the next year, compared to 7% of total respondents. 68% use automation, compared to 57% in the total sample.

That said, companies of all sizes in India need to rethink their approach to attracting and retaining highly skilled developers.