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, HR leaders 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, HR 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 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.
For HR professionals, 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 HR and business leaders 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.
A new mandate for HR leaders
For HR professionals, this shift brings a new mandate: to lead the design of work itself. This goes beyond traditional workforce planning. It’s about embedding skills-first thinking into job architecture, learning and development strategies, and performance management.
Take the example of a Computer Network Architect. Today, much of their time may be spent maintaining reporting systems or managing routine network file activities. By deploying RPA tools to automate those tasks, you not only increase efficiency but also allow the same employee to shift their focus toward cyber resilience planning or innovation in network design.
Similarly, programmers can move away from routine coding and begin to specialise in ensuring the quality of AI-generated code, developing complex algorithms, or optimising chatbot outputs. This isn’t just a better use of time, but it’s a better use of talent.
The knock-on effect for employee engagement could be profound. When people are empowered to do work that challenges and inspires them, they are more likely to stay, grow, and thrive as leaders.
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, HR can create a workforce capable of evolving alongside technological advancements.
Digital credentials, adaptive learning platforms, and AI-informed skills data can help match employees to the right training at the right time. These tools already exist, and HR teams that use them effectively will be best positioned to support ongoing role evolution.
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. This kind of strategic, phased role redesign is well within the capabilities of today’s HR teams, and the returns are significant.
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 HR 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.
