Creating high-impact tech roles: solving the tech talent gap from within

The tech talent crisis is no longer looming; it’s here. And the shortage is impeding the UK's technological advancement, with the UK tech sector falling out of the top 10 for tech competitiveness.

With automation and artificial intelligence (AI) reshaping work faster than organisations can fill skills gaps, we face a stark challenge: how to future-proof the workforce without breaking the budget or burning out existing teams.

Pearson’s latest Skills Outlook report, Solving the Tech Talent Gap from Within, offers a new approach that shifts the conversation from looking purely at headcount. Our research indicates that, rather than continually searching for external candidates with the ideal blend of tech and AI skills, employers should first look inward at the talent and potential of their existing employees. By redesigning roles at a task level, business and tech leaders can unlock significant capacity in their current workforce, boosting productivity, enhancing job satisfaction, and closing the skills gap from within.

A rethink, not a replacement

We analysed five of the UK’s most common and high-value tech roles, from software developers and system analysts to network architects, and found that up to 7.8 hours per week could be saved per employee by 2029, simply by making better use of emerging technologies like large language model (LLM) chatbots and robotic process automation (RPA).

But the real opportunity lies not in the hours saved, but in what you do with that freed-up time. Our findings show that none of the roles, and none of their associated tasks, are fully eliminated. Instead, AI augments routine work, such as rewriting code, compiling documentation, or running network backups; freeing people to focus on activities they do best, like strategic thinking, collaboration, creativity, and innovation.

This is a game-changer. Rather than navigating a perpetual skills shortage by chasing external candidates, there’s now a credible strategy to reimagine existing roles and invest in the people you already have.

Role redesign: a practical solution to a growing problem

The scale of the challenge is significant. According to the World Economic Forum, 29% of tech jobs globally are expected to be disrupted or transformed in the next five years. At the same time, a Korn Ferry report predicts that by 2030, 85 million jobs could remain unfilled due to a shortage of skilled individuals to fill them.

This is not just a problem of quantity, but one of quality and structure. Many tech professionals are spending far too much time on low-impact, easily automatable tasks. Our modelling shows that roles like Computer Systems Analyst or Systems Software Developer could reclaim nearly a full day per week through smarter use of AI tools. Imagine the impact on innovation, speed-to-market, or team performance if that time were reallocated to higher-value tasks.

Redesigning roles and establishing agile workforce allocation models allow us to do just that. It means taking a close look at each role, breaking it down by task, and asking which activities require human ingenuity and which can be automated or assisted. The challenge is in identifying what those tasks are for each role, how they will help boost business performance, and how best to develop these skills to get the maximum value from their workforce. The result? A workforce that is more productive, more agile and not overloaded.

Learning to learn: the new core skill

But redesigning roles is only half the equation. To truly close the tech talent gap from within, organisations must also invest in helping employees acquire the skills required for their evolving roles.

The half-life of skills is shrinking rapidly. Our research shows that what people need to know today will be different in just a few years. That’s why we advocate for “learning to learn” as the most important skill of the future. By fostering adaptability, curiosity, and continuous development, we can create a workforce capable of evolving alongside technological advancements.

A better answer to the talent squeeze

It’s important to state that this rethink isn’t about reducing staff, but it’s about increasing capacity and impact. In one scenario, redesigning the roles of a team of 15 engineers could enable them to transition from supporting 20 projects to supporting 40 without experiencing burnout.

It’s also not about wholesale transformation overnight. Begin by identifying the roles most significantly impacted by automation. Map the tasks these roles do and pinpoint bottlenecks. Then redesign the job to shift effort to where it adds the most value and consider how you quickly and effectively deploy roles to projects and work.

Leading through change

The skills crisis won’t be solved by external hiring alone. It demands a mindset shift that sees people not as fixed assets, but as dynamic contributors who can be continually redeployed, reskilled, and re-energised.

For business and tech leaders, this is the moment to lead through the change. By redesigning work at the task level, aligning roles with strategic priorities, and building the internal capability to grow and evolve talent, we can close the tech skills gap from within and build a future of work that works better for everyone.

I’ll be talking more about this topic at the DigiGov Expo on 25 September 2025 2:15 pm - 2:45 pm. I’m leading a session exploring: "Driving Transformation and Innovation with Trusted Skills Data: How trusted and transparent skills data can be used to accelerate workforce transformation - supporting public sector readiness for an AI future of work”. You’ll find the session under TechShuffle: 2025 Agenda — Digital Government Expo