Month/Year of Graduation

5-2018

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Department

Accountancy

First Advisor

Dale Eesley

Abstract

This thesis examines the economic impact that a pervasive shortage of tech talent nationwide is having on various companies in the Midwest. Per the Mid-America Regional Council, four computer-related job openings existed for every unemployed person in the Midwest in 2015. In Nebraska alone, there were 2,318 open computing jobs, with only 438 computer science graduates in the state that year. By examining this contemporary issue, I explore both the extent to which companies in the Midwest are affected by the shortage and the common practices currently in place by Midwest companies to deal with the shortage. For the scope of this thesis, tech talent will refer to any individual who possesses on-demand computing skills (e.g. proficient in on-demand programming languages). I use two major research strategies: (1) conducting interviews with IT and HR leadership from various established companies in Omaha and (2) reviewing published literature and other related secondary reports. After the collection of this data, I conduct a thorough analysis of common solutions, biases, and other general trends in IT strategy used by the interviewed companies. Additionally, I propose two recommendations regarding initiatives that may further alleviate the shortage.

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