Strategic Recommendations from BTS-Netmind
The IT talent landscape over the next two years points to an ecosystem under strain, where the old rules of “presenteeism” and blind corporate loyalty have been overridden by the reality of a globalized and technologically accelerated market. The figure of 70% intent to leave in Spain is a symptom of a broader condition: growing organizational and operational friction in a context of high complexity (both internal and external).
Professionals are not only leaving due to low salaries (although global arbitrage makes this inevitable); they are leaving because of technical debt, constant interruptions, digital surveillance, and a lack of purpose.
AI, far from being a magical panacea, has added a new layer of complexity and impact that requires a more human, different approach to management. These are some recommendations based on our experience:
- Understand and manage “friction” (DevEx Audit). In a technology-driven world, organizations must measure the “Developer Experience” with the same level of attention as they measure the “Customer Experience.” Removing barriers to flow (unnecessary meetings, slow approvals) is the most effective and cost-efficient retention measure.
- Systemically address the talent gap: “migrate your people.” IDC estimates that the shortage of IT talent will cost organizations $5.5 trillion in losses by 2026. A total of 85 million technology roles are projected to go unfilled globally by 2030. This is not a supply problem, but a skills mismatch—for example, available profiles (your current talent) do not align with what is needed. Companies that treat upskilling as a standalone training program fail. Those that integrate it as part of a broader talent transformation, with visible technical career paths and learning in the flow of work, are the ones that attract and retain top IT professionals.
- Intelligently integrate asynchrony and digital-native ways of working. Analyzing—and adopting, in a way tailored to each organization’s context—the working models of digital pioneers is not optional if you want to compete for global talent. Written documentation and asynchronous communication should be a core part of the management toolbox, reserving synchronous interaction for human connection and complex decision-making.
- Approach AI adoption realistically. Leaders must recalibrate their expectations of Generative AI. It should be positioned as a tool to eliminate tedious work, not as a substitute for engineers. Investment in deep capability building is critical to avoid generating “junk code” and instead fully leverage new technological capabilities. Without a clear adoption strategy, AI can become a factor that exacerbates pre-existing organizational and operational dysfunctions.
- Invest in cultural transformation and leadership in complex systems. Develop capabilities in middle management that enable them to manage complexity, drive innovation, and lead change. Leaders and middle managers are key to providing clarity in roles and responsibilities, reducing strategic ambiguity, and eliminating structural friction and micromanagement practices.
Some of the capabilities we are helping our clients develop in this area include:
• AI use-case context design
• Flow management vs. task management
• Facilitation of distributed decision-making
• Applied innovation and psychological safety
“The future of technology work does not belong to those who try to return to 2019, but to those who design organizations capable of operating with fluency, trust, and humanity in the age of artificial intelligence.”
