Mainframe talent gap: A tsunami that can be contained

Companies in the banking, telecommunications, insurance, government and retail sectors, are facing a talent crisis.

A crisis that has been growing silently and will begin to take on highly complex proportions in the near future.

As a concrete example to illustrate the problem, we can mention that the average age of people who program in COBOL and administer mainframes, exceeds 55 years worldwide. 

In other words, more than half of those with expertise in infrastructure development and maintenance is close to retirement. On the other hand, there is not enough talent available to replace him.

This Lack of availability is particularly critical because, among other industries, impacts 88% of the banks that make up the World's Top 50 Banks ranking. It also affects the 67% from Fortune Top 100 Companies.

From this context, we interviewed María Fernanda “Mafer” Martínez, a leader in the subject and zSkills Influencer Latin America in IBM. 

Together with her, we analyzed Why mainframes are still crucial in today's world and will continue to be so in the future.

Regarding the mainframe talent crisis, we asked him what impact it has and how to solve it. We also asked him about the skills required to fill the most in-demand roles by the industry regarding the development and maintenance of technological infrastructures.

But to delve deeper into this issue, it's important to first get to know our protagonist, to understand how her professional career influenced her vision for overcoming the current mainframe talent gap.

Starting a mainframe-oriented technology career 

Like other leaders in the IT industry, Mafer's professional history is a journey of transformation and discovery.

When she decided to pursue a career in technology, although she knew she liked computers and felt good in that field, she didn't know what the world was really like. 

After beginning her degree in Computer Systems, she realized it involved much more than she knew, and that there were multiple opportunities for professional development. So, she began focusing on infrastructure—first on networks—and learning about project management. 

At that time Mafer began to stand out from his peers for one of his main skills: public speaking. In other words, showcasing. 

“I really enjoyed teaching or sharing what I knew,” he recalls. 

This is how she began working in several companies where her great strength led her to excel in customer service, both technically and socially.

He worked at Dell, Microsoft, Cisco, and then CitiBanamex, where he learned about the core systems that today connect the bank to the mainframe. At the bank, an expert taught him how its infrastructure operated and functioned, and how it connected businesses and external customers.  

Her next career move was to IBM, where she has worked for eight years. Her first experience was in the company's cross-functional portfolio, and some time later she joined the Mainframe team. 

At that moment, the perfect combination for her professional development presented itself, with the opportunity to focus on meeting clients' mainframe skills needs.

Experiences that develop talent and build professionals 

What attracted Mafer to the infrastructure environment was how tangible the technology was. 

Being able to see the boxes and hardware, connect them, and make them work. “I have friends who love software development, but I needed to see something physically working and, in turn, making something bigger work,” he explains. 

When asked about two experiences that have impacted him professionally and personally, he highlights his time at CitiBanamex and his current position at IBM.

Working at CitiBanamex was an interesting challenge for Mafer. There, she managed new ATM technology projects, from design to implementation. 

The challenge was facing a large group of people much older than her and with many years of experience, and backing up her decisions with the knowledge she had up to that point. 

At that point in his life, young and eager to take on the world, he set no limits. “Those were exhausting years, working for weeks on end without sleep,” he recalls.

From that experience, he learned that human beings are not just working machines, and it's important to set boundaries at work and achieve a balance with personal life.

Another challenge in her career was taking on the role of zSkills Influencer at IBM, which allowed her to meet people from different countries, travel, and live culturally enriching lives.

Her main professional goal for the future is to continue her professional training to move into a future global leadership role. To this end, she is pursuing a master's degree. 

Another goal is to continue working on work-life balance, without neglecting emotions, family, and friends.

Why are mainframes still so important? 

While there are those in the IT industry who say that the mainframe is on its way out, the opposite is happening.

The most important thing about a technology that has been on the market for so many years, like the mainframe, is the ability to make it innovative and put it at the forefront, so that it can compete with other technologies that many find more interesting. 

Having a platform that has supported large businesses for so many years, and hearing these companies say they can't find another solution to replace the mainframe because it's cheaper, more secure, or more powerful, keeps that technology on the market.

Being innovative isn't just about having a product on the market, but also about staying on the market and being the best product for its customers. Something the mainframe has achieved over the years.

Proof of this is that 90% of the organizations surveyed within the framework of the Kyndryl 2023 State of Mainframe Modernization Survey Report indicate that Mainframes remain essential to your business operations. 

Impact of the mainframe talent crisis 

There is a growing need for skilled talent to manage mainframes. 

In fact, among the positions with the greatest shortage and difficulty in recruiting, the profiles of mainframe analysts and administrators stand out. Also, programming roles in COBOL, involved in almost the 70% of production IT workloads of the world. 

However, at the same time, there are voices that point out that the mainframe isn't as modern or current, or that it's on its way out. When in fact, the opposite is true. 

Against this background murmur, there's a real mainframe talent crisis. A crisis that exists because the platform was made to believe it was becoming archaic. 

Indeed, the disinterest of the new generations towards mainframe and COBOL is influenced by the erroneous perception of obsolescence, that is being generated in relation to these technologies. 

A perception that leads to ignoring the enormous impact they have today sectors such as banking, telecommunications, retail and government, among others. 

As a result, the training of this type of profiles in educational institutions was not continued, and today Most mainframe experts are nearing retirement or are no longer working..  

The companies' mistake was not worrying about developing new talent while their most experienced professionals operated the platform. 

At the same time, Mafer warns that there are no undergraduate or graduate curricula, nor in engineering, that explain the mainframe and its importance to the world's largest companies. 

The scarce existence of educational programs focused on developing these skills, is reflected in the fact that higher education institutions that focus on this area of knowledge do not reach 3 out of 10.

That's where this comes from current need to generate talent, considering that the platform is not going to leave the market and that it is very difficult even for customers to think about migrating to another type of infrastructure.

How to solve the mainframe talent shortage?

There are many initiatives in the market to reverse this situation. In particular, Argentina is a country that has been concerned about continue developing people who know mainframe and COBOL, the programming language best used by the platform. 

To address the crisis we've been mentioning, there are, for example, initiatives that focus on addressing the different stages of professional development. 

At IBM they have initiatives such as Zeta Career Connection, where universities are visited to invite final-year students of related programs to begin their training with a free entry-level certificate. From there, they could obtain a scholarship or entry-level opportunity at any of the companies that offer mainframes. 

“There's a common exercise when IBM mainframe experts visit universities: ask those who would like to have expertise in developing applications with artificial intelligence to raise their hands. Everyone raises their hand,” Mafer says. 

“But if you ask how many people would like to be a mainframe expert, no one raises the question, or only two or three people do,” he adds.

The reality of the job market suggests that those two or three people will earn much more money than the 500 competing to specialize in AI. 

Those who are trained in mainframe and in the COBOL programming language They are betting on a niche technology, for which there is Very little competition, greater chances of obtaining a first-place position and better financial compensation.

From IT Patagonia we develop a own proposal for attracting, training and retaining talent, because we are aware of the complexity that arises in terms of mainframe and COBOL talent.

How does it work? We're basically a bridge between organizations seeking talent for their teams and individuals looking to enter the IT world or interested in developing their programming skills.

We seek out motivated talent and train them in the skills the labor market requires to meet mainframe and COBOL-related needs. 

Our method is composed of four phases:

• Survey: technical and soft aspects of the profile that needs to be filled are analyzed, as well as knowledge of the company's organizational culture in relation to the position.
• Feasibility: the match between the ideal profile and the offer available on the market is evaluated, with the support of specialists.
• Investigation: We involve the best methods, tools and platforms of specialized hunters.
• Match: We determine the ideal technical profile, including a description of the soft skills we need for the position, with special emphasis on orientation towards change. 

With our strategic training partner, Codeki, we have already more than a thousand people trained by more than 25 teachers and mentors, and More than 15 technological specialization courses. 

Always from a gender perspective and in alliance with other organizations.

These types of initiatives pave the way for new generations of talent, as those currently studying become familiar with the mainframe platform. 

“Maybe not everyone is going to dedicate themselves to being a system admin or a mainframe application developer. Probably not. But for tomorrow, you're also training decision-makers, future CTOs, who will be familiar with the platform and won't be hostile to it. They will continue to invest in having a mainframe at Bank N or Retailer Z,” reflects Mafer.  

The idea is to evangelize the new generations so that they understand the value of the platform and that see the mainframe as a business enabler.  

Skills required for the most in-demand roles in mainframes

Among the most in-demand roles in mainframe, the following stand out: platform management and the application development:

• Platform administration is a key component, responsible for the infrastructure, its maintenance, developing new solutions that will run on it, and ensuring how it connects to businesses and other servers, among other tasks.
• Applications, for their part, need to be updated and maintained throughout their lifecycle and within the company's operating framework.

These are two profiles whose demand is increasing in the market, and for which we are most in demand for talent and training.  

Regarding the skills required for an entry-level position in mainframe, we are looking for a solid foundation in computer science and a desire to learn.

A solid technological foundation means that anyone interested in mainframe training must be studying or have studied a degree related to technology or related fields. For example, systems or computer engineering, or computer science, or even mechanical engineering.  

As for people who are making a career change, they have to know how to program, in order to have the appropriate logical mental structure that allows them to move on to other technology conversations. 

In both cases, you need a good foundation in mathematics and the ability to program in at least two or three languages. This knowledge helps you have a adequate mental structure to be able to talk about technology. 

From a skills perspective, Mafer believes there isn't just one skill that keeps a person in a position, but rather a combination of knowledge that one must possess. 

Added to this is the ability to enjoy everyday life, so you can find your professional path. 

Without forgetting that a person with great expertise in application development also needs to have the ability to know how to sell itHence the importance of combining niche knowledge with knowing how to express it. 

Conclusion 

The warning signs of the mainframe talent crisis are already emerging, but solutions that can help resolve it are also in place.

Its success lies not only in the strategies being promoted by companies like IBM and IT Patagonia. It is also based on the Opportunities to develop young talent or to retrain professionals interested in exploring a new field of job opportunities.

The key is to dare to try the unknown and overcome resistance to what is not known, because without a doubt There is a great area of opportunity in the mainframe.

Are you interested in working with us and joining this unbeatable team? We invite you to learn about our active searches.