Terry Erdle, EVP of CompTIA, presents at NAWB on March 12, 2012, on the state of the IT workforce and how more skilled workers are needed.

1. 2012 State of the IT Workforce
certification.comptia.org
Terry Erdle
Executive Vice President
Skills Certification
CompTIA

2. Who is CompTIA
Trade association advancing the global IT
industry for 30 years
• Headquartered in the U.S.
with offices in 11 countries
• World’s largest provider of
vendor-neutral IT certifications
• 2,000 member companies &
1,000 partners worldwide

3. Our Members and Partners
Vendors Resellers Education
Picture 6

4. Our Focus
Education | Certification | Advocacy | Philanthropy
Educate Advocate
The IT On Behalf of
Channel the Industry
Certify Give Back
The IT Through
Workforce Philanthropy

5. IT Labor Force Growing
Faster than Economy
Unemployment
Overall U.S. at 8.5% IT at 3.6%
as of Jan. 2011 as of Jan. 2011
Labor Force I
Overall U.S. up 1.1% IT up 3.6%
since Jan. 2011 since Jan. 2011
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

6. Strong IT Employment
166,000 U.S. IT Firms Employ
a Total of 5 Million Workers
in the IT Industry
• 400,000 Self-Employed
• 60% of Workers Employed by Large Firms
Spanning the Entire IT Industry
• 62% of Workers in the IT Services Sector are
Employed by Small Firms
Source: U.S. Economic Census and
CompTIA IT Industry Outlook 2012

7. Strong IT Employment
3.6 Million Workers in IT Departments
in Industries Across the Economy
Majority in Core IT Positions:
 Computer Support
 Software Development
 Computer Systems Analyst
Source: CompTIA IT Industry Outlook 2012

8. Small Business is the Lifeblood
of the National Economy
CompTIA market research reveals that:
•SMBs employ more than 50% of the country's private
sector workforce
•SMBs hire 40% of high-tech workers, such as scientists,
engineers and computer workers.
•98% of all IT firms are small companies.
Source: Small Business Administration

9. A Plethora of Tech Job Openings
Nearly 300,000 IT jobs
are now open in the U.S.,
according to Indeed.com

10. Skilled IT Professionals Are
Harder to Find
Compared to other
employment sectors, more
CIOs say recruiting is a
challenge, according to
Robert Half International.

11. Skills Gaps are on the Rise
• Majority of organizations want to improve use of
technology and skills of IT staff.
• Skills gaps in IT are on the rise:
4 in 10 organizations report an increase
in IT skills gaps
• Most organizations seek to improve both “hard”
and “soft” IT skills gaps
Source: CompTIA's IT Skills Gap Study
Base: 500 U.S. IT and Business Executives

12. Skills Gap Negatively
Impacts Business
Reductions measured for firms of all sizes:
 Staff productivity
 Customer service/customer engagement
 Cybersecurity/defending against security threats
 Innovation/new product development
 Speed to market with new products or services
Source: CompTIA's IT Skills Gap Study
Base: 500 U.S. IT and Business Executives

15. Certification Validates Skills
8 in 10 HR professionals say
IT certifications will grow in importance
over the next two years.

16. Certification Makes Training
More Effective
84% of organizations agree that
it’s best to test after training to
confirm knowledge gains.
Source: CompTIA's 2012 IT Security Study

17. Top 5 Benefits of Having an IT
Certified Staff
• Better able to understand new
or complex technologies
• More productive IT workforce
• More insightful problem solving
• Better project management skills
• Better communication skills
Certified workers are more
likely to stay at a company.

18. Certify the IT Workforce
Address the Expanding Global IT Workforce
Gap
• Help employers make hiring decisions
• Help professionals prove their skills and
grow their careers
Bridge IT Careers from Beginner to Expert
• Leading provider of vendor-neutral IT certifications
• 1.5M+ people certified worldwide
• 19 certifications with more in development

19. Top IT Certifications
Impacting Hiring &
Compensation
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20. CompTIA Certifications Adhere to a
Rigorous Development Process
Job Task
Analysis
Live Item
Exam Writing
Beta
Cut
Testin
Score g

22. Certify to a Better Career Path
http://certifications.comptia.org

23. Resources to Boost the IT
Workforce
CompTIA and its partners offer a host of
services to help people start a career in IT:
•IT-Ready apprenticeships
•Troops to Tech Careers program for U.S.
military veterans
•An online job board and other resources

24. certification.comptia.org
Terry Erdle
Executive Vice President
Skills Certification
CompTIA
terdle@comptia.org