infoTECH Feature

October 22, 2012

Big Data to Create 6M Jobs by 2015: Gartner

There’s been a lot of talk about the impact big data will have on IT for the foreseeable future – for one, big data means big things in the job market in the U.S. and abroad.

In fact, by 2015, 4.4 million IT jobs globally will be created to support big data, generating 1.9 million IT jobs in the U.S., according to Peter Sondergaard, senior vice president and global head of research at Gartner (News - Alert).

“In addition, every big data-related role in the U.S. will create employment for three people outside of IT, so over the next four years a total of 6 million jobs in the U.S. will be generated by the information economy,” Sondergaard said in a statement.

However, there is a talent gap because of a lack of data experts in the industry – making them a valuable commodity in the age of the so-called new information economy.

“There is not enough talent in the industry. Our public and private education systems are failing us. Therefore, only one-third of the IT jobs will be filled. Data experts will be a scarce, valuable commodity,” Sondergaard said. “IT leaders will need immediate focus on how their organization develops and attracts the skills required. These jobs will be needed to grow your business. These jobs are the future of the new information economy.”

Sondergaard said the IT industry is entering the “Nexus of Forces,” which includes a confluence and integration of cloud, social collaboration, mobile and information. In addition, Gartner predicts that worldwide IT spending will surpass $3.7 trillion in 2013 – a 3.8-percent increase from 2012 projected spending of $3.6 trillion.

“This is a time of accelerating change, where your current IT architecture will be rendered obsolete,” Sondergaard said. “You must lead through this change, selectively destroy low impact systems, and aggressively change your IT cost structure. This is the New World of the Nexus, the next age of computing.”

Given the volumes of structured and unstructured data being produced all over the world, businesses can leverage this continual stream of information from internal and external sources by transforming decision-making, discovering new insights, optimizing the business and innovating their industries, Sondergaard added.

“Big data is about looking ahead, beyond what everybody else sees. You need to understand how to deal with hybrid data, meaning the combination of structured and unstructured data, and how you shine a light on ‘dark data,’” he said. “Dark data is the data being collected, but going unused despite its value. Leading organizations of the future will be distinguished by the quality of their predictive algorithms. This is the CIO challenge and opportunity.”




Edited by Braden Becker
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