“There are barely any good job opportunities nowadays…I wonder why.”

If you have a habit of browsing LinkedIn often, you’d know how rare it is to find some really good opportunities there. You can pass this off as a temporary issue, citing market turbulence. But the reality is that traditional hiring has taken a backseat for many businesses. Even as the demand for skilled IT professionals remains on the higher side, there are certain challenges associated with traditional hiring that many don’t realize.

For starters, hiring full-time employees or maintaining in-house IT teams isn’t efficient. It isn’t cost-effective either. As businesses continue to look for alternatives, one choice has become quite popular – IT staff augmentation. What exactly is this, and why are businesses increasingly opting for them over traditional hiring? Read more to find out!

What Is IT Staff Augmentation?

Businesses can adopt a flexible system where they can hire an expert temporarily to work on an urgent project without having to deal with overhead costs. This system is called the IT staff augmentation. In essence, it’s quite simple. Businesses naturally have an in-house team of permanent employees. Now, sometimes, the available resources fall short.

What’s the option at that point?

Hiring a new permanent employee isn’t it. You’d have to conduct interviews, train the individual, let them get adjusted to the workplace before you dump a project on them. Quite a hassle, isn’t it? Well, that’s where the staff augmentation option comes in handy. In this case, you can augment your existing team with specialists related to any area, be it software development or cybersecurity.

This option is popular for businesses that want to –

● Fill the skill gaps
● Meet project deadlines
● Scale teams easily

Now that staff augmentation allows businesses to bring in skilled talent for specific needs without the burden of long-term employment obligations, it has become the standard go-to option. But how did this come about? Let’s find out!

The Growing Popularity of IT Staff Augmentation

With the evolution of technology, businesses have been able to realize two things. Firstly, it is possible for employees to work remotely from anywhere in the world without any hindrance to operations. Secondly, the competition in any industry is so high that getting skilled professionals becomes the highest priority.

Combine the two, and you get one solution – hiring experts temporarily. The factors that contribute to the rising demand for this process are –

Rapid Technological Advancements

Technological advancements aren’t going to wait for anyone to catch up. Almost every day, some new technology is being introduced and businesses have to scramble to keep up with the advancements. That’s why they often find themselves seeking specialized skills that their in-house teams do not possess. The staff augmentation option allows these businesses to access professionals with the latest skills and expertise so that they can remain competitive without wasting time on training and development.

Adoption of Remote/Hybrid Work Modes

The COVID-19 pandemic was the catalyst to accelerating the transition from on-site work to remote or hybrid options. In the current scenario, businesses don’t have to limit themselves to hiring local employees. Thanks to remote working facilities, they can hire skilled individuals from any place in the world. All that’s needed is proper communication and a bit of working around time zones.

Cost Effectiveness

Hiring employees for a full-time position is a costly affair. You’ve got to bear the costs of recruitment, training, employee benefits, and payroll. The staff augmentation option lets you bypass these costs easily. After all, you’re not hiring a full-time employee. It’s not your responsibility to train them or offer more benefits. When you get into a contract-based model, you pay only for the services you require and nothing more. So, you can say goodbye to the overhead costs associated with permanent hiring.

Speed and Flexibility

The traditional hiring process has too many steps involved. For starters, finding the right candidates, shortlisting resumes, conducting interviews, and onboarding can take weeks if not months. IT staff augmentation, on the other hand, allows you to find the right talent and onboard them immediately. This speed is crucial when you’ve got an urgent project or deadline. Enjoy the flexibility to scale your team up or down depending on project demands.

Focus on Core Competencies

Businesses can concentrate fully on their core competencies instead of being bogged down by recruitment or talent management. By bringing in specialists, you can leave all the technical matters to them while you focus on your strategic goals and overall growth.

Why Are Businesses Opting For IT Staff Augmentation?

Traditional hiring practices are taking a back seat. You’ve already explored some of the primary reasons for the rise of IT staff augmentation. Amongst them, cost effectiveness is perhaps the most important one. While big and established businesses can afford an extensive in-house team with specialists in all fields, smaller companies and startups have their work cut out for them. Staff augmentation allows them to hire such specialists temporarily, only for the projects necessary. You get to enjoy top-notch work without breaking the bank.

Other than this, businesses tend to favor this recruitment options because of the following reasons –

Access to Specialized Talent

Are you looking for a software developer to help you set up a mobile application? Perhaps you’re in need of an SEO specialist who can improve your website’s ranking on Google? No matter what you require, you’ll easily be able to find highly specialized experts who would be willing to work on a contractual basis. Most professionals have already gone independent since this option provides more flexibility and independence.

Faster Project Execution

The market is so competitive that finding qualified candidates can be quite a long-drawn affair. Now, let’s say you’re lucky and you find the right candidate pretty easily. Well, that’s not where things end. The new hire has to go through the onboarding and training processes. So, they’d need additional time to adjust before you can assign any project to them. In other words, the entire process is too time-consuming that your project will just get delayed. However, when you hire experts who require no training and are ready to hit the ground running, you can meet deadlines more efficiently. Access a flexible pool of pre-vetted IT talent that you can hire for your project and watch all deadlines being met without any bumps along the way.

Scalability and Flexibility

The rapid technological advancements happening all around means that business needs will keep evolving frequently. With changing needs comes the need for specialized talent. Thanks to IT staff augmentation, you can easily scale your team up or down depending on the project requirements, seasonal demands, or any other factor. This flexibility comes in pretty handy for businesses that need to adapt to new technologies or market conditions quickly.

Reduced Risk of Employee Turnover

Imagine a full-time employee with 8 years of experience working on a crucial project decides to resign before the project completion. Now, you’ve got to find someone else to take up the position, go through interview stages, and train them on the specific issues related to the project. Now, if you were to augment someone else into your team temporarily for the project, you won’t have to deal with employee turnover issues. If the individual is no longer required or once the contract ends, you can easily let them go without having to deal with any hassle. You not only save on time but also on recruitment and training costs associated with high turnover rates.

In Conclusion,

The trend of hiring specialists on a contractual basis is catching up with business everywhere. The flexibility, cost effectiveness, and efficiency of project management are unparalleled. Whether you want to reduce the project timeline, fill skill gaps, or even maintain a lean team, just opt for this option. You get to skip all the hassles of permanent employee recruitment and save up on overhead costs. Consider outsourcing talent from a reputed organization like Brainium where you can take your pick from a pool of pre-vetted professionals with years of experience under their belt.

Contact us to find the right fit for your business needs today!