Is no-code the answer to the IT skills shortage?

The lack of skilled software developers has made the job of a software engineer one of the highest-paid IT/tech jobs on the market. As a result, the median software developer’s salary already exceeds $110K per year. No wonder no-code technology entered the scene amidst the need to make app development more affordable and cost-effective.

No-code solutions offer users intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces that eliminate any need to code. Through libraries of building blocks, no-code developers can design and deploy individual or departmental systems, making it possible for other employees to contribute and collaborate.

By reskilling and upskilling their available workforces to become no-code citizen developers, organizations can reap several benefits, including shorter app development cycles, elimination of unsanctioned "shadow" IT practices, streamlined business processes, and more. Most importantly, using no-code lightens the workload of strapped IT teams, letting them focus on higher-priority projects.

The future in-demand jobs require a command of new digital skills, no-code included.

No-code skills in the ever-changing career landscape

According to McKinsey & Co, 87% of organizations already experience a skill gap or expect to in the years to come. In addition, the 2020 World Economic Forum (WEF) indicates that over one billion employees will have to reskill by 2030, which accounts for one-third of the global workforce.

As core skills such as communication, numeracy, problem-solving, technology, and teamwork required for existing jobs are rapidly changing, the career landscape is following suit. New skills related to sales, HR, education, and care are gaining momentum. In this new reality, more and more companies expect their employees to possess creativity, flow, coaching, relationship-building skills, and a growth mindset.

As of 2021, the list of the most in-demand tech jobs includes data analysts and scientists, AI and machine learning specialists, software engineers, sales and marketing professionals, digital transformation specialists, and many more. Surprisingly enough, not all of these jobs require programming skills. However, they do require a command of new digital skills, no-code included.

What exactly are 'no-code skills'?

No-code solutions put the analytical and development capabilities in the hands of the employees. These ‘citizen developers’ are keenly aware of the business issues that need to be addressed, along with the data sources necessary to deliver insights. A process automation engineer, a workflow automation specialist, and a rapid application developer can be 'no-code citizen developers' depending on the issues they are expected to solve.

The ability of non-technical employees to develop business apps, streamline processes, and automate workflows using no-code solutions can qualify as 'no-code skills', and they can be applied across departments. For example, Customer Service can run sentiment analysis on feedback forms, Sales can automatically score leads in CRMs, HR can automate employee onboarding, Marketing can generate analytics reports.

Any employee capable of optimizing their routine workflows using macros, a spreadsheet data model, a CRM integration, automated reporting, or even eSignature, falls under the category of a no-code developer.

How can no-code skills help employees advance their careers in 2022?

Employees who have no-code skills can increase their chances and value on the job market. Here are four main benefits of gaining no-code skills:

Making a smooth entry into IT

No-code can provide a smooth point of entry for someone who's interested in expanding their career opportunities in IT. By learning how to use no-code solutions for automating workflows and streamlining business processes, employees can learn more about how things work within their organization, as well as get a start with the basics of coding.

Becoming an IT leader in your organization

An employee with strong no-code skills has the possibility to grow into a full-fledged IT leader responsible for introducing no-code solutions and managing an organization's IT infrastructure. In fact, there's a huge opportunity gap that is going unfilled as only 29% of IT leaders feel they have the right training in place for non-developers to build apps and even fewer have a strong governance plan to train them.

Increasing your salary

The amount of compensation may fluctuate depending on the level of work experience and skills. For instance, Glassdoor indicates that the average base salary of a workflow automation specialist in the US is $86,125, while a data analyst earns $69,517. In the meantime, Payscale defines a process automation specialist’s median salary as $82,000 a year.

Improving employee satisfaction

According to Salesforce, 71% of employees expect their organization to provide the same level of service through the use of technology that consumer products do. Introducing and promoting no-code within an organization can elevate the level of employee satisfaction (considered one of the most critical KPIs by 70% of IT leaders).

No-code skills can help you transition into IT, become a tech leader in your organization, increase your salary, and improve your job satisfaction.

What's next?

In conclusion, no-code development has benefits at both individual and organizational levels.

For non-technical employees, the benefits of gaining no-code skills vary from higher compensation and extended career horizons to taking a new career path. For organizations, no-code can not only democratize app development and make workflow automation more commonplace, but also bridge the IT skill gap.

As more no-code solutions make their way onto the market, we'll be following their effects on the future of work in 2022. In the meantime, you can start learning no-code development for automating your documents and business processes with airSlate and n8n.