Skills shortage in IT roles, including security, developers, and data professionals, are affecting 60% to 80% of organisations in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a report from the global tech and marketing firm International Data Corporation (IDC).

The report, released this month, is in stark contrast to recent news of massive layoffs in the tech industry. However, IDC pointed out that the layoff announcements are not representative of the overall skills shortage in the market. As a result of the shortage in skills, remaining employees face increased workload and the industry faces increased security risks, reduced customer satisfactory and loss of critical knowledge, the report states.

“Skills are difficult to find and take a long time to replace. 53% of organisations in Asia Pacific are taking three to four months longer compared to a year ago to fill technology roles. As skills shortages are affecting nearly all industries, organisations must prioritize upscaling digital skills and implement automation technologies to streamline business processes,” said Lily Phan, research director of Future Work at IDC.

The report also shows that more than half of organisations in APAC experienced greater numbers of employees quitting their jobs last year, contributing to the shortage, causing 37% of organisations to delay tech initiatives, as well as 36% to change the direction of tech initiatives.