The US has a software engineer crisis. Engineers and developers hand in their resignations as they set out to explore better, more flexible avenues of work. But tackling this new dearth of engineers in the country has been the prime aim of Gaper ever since the pandemic started back in 2020. The unforeseen, exogenous shock actually heralded the start of a lot of new innovation-led businesses that led to a surge in the already boosted demand for software engineers and developers. Gaper offers the ease of finding and vetting skilled engineers from all over the world who can then work in collaboration with a business’ in-house teams or as a standalone unit.
Mustafa and Ahmed have keenly observed the US and global labor market trends with particular focus on the tech industry in the past three years. The talent shortage, skill mismatch, inflexible work systems, and a growing interest in entrepreneurship has led them to a few key conclusions.
Ahmed, VP of Engineering at Gaper says, “I don’t see how businesses can hope to continue operating in a sustainable manner if they refuse to move on from rigid work systems. These systems have served companies well in the previous decades, but a big overhaul is due now. People are resigning, self-employment is on the rise, remote work is a top need…you need to adjust for these shifts if your business is to stay competitive…”
Towards Creating a Level Playing Field
It goes without saying that the past two years have fared very differently for small businesses and startups relative to older, more seasoned establishments. Big names in tech have always been able to scout the creams of the crop. They can attract top-notch talent to their firms with some measure of help from their trophy offices and smart image-building. Couple this advantage with something like a pandemic-fuelled economic crisis, you will find that small business cannot survive using the same old hiring practices.
The proof can also be found in the pudding. In this case, the figurative pudding is the community of entrepreneurs and founders that Gaper has built over the past two years. After hosting hundreds of podcasts, webinars, and conferences, Mustafa, an accountant turned B2B hacker, has found that startup owners have thrived remarkably well during economic uncertainties simply because they had flexible hiring and work processes in place. This has allowed them to successfully operate in the same industries that were previously oligopolized by a few firms.
Hiring remote developers ends up lowering a lot of barriers in the tech field, allowing a lot more small businesses to generate growth and scalability.
Not Your Average Outsourcing Firm
Gaper does not wish to conform to the traditional outsourcing models where the volume of work is given precedence over the quality of deliverables and relationships with clients. This business model is more focused on providing vetted engineers to US businesses that are hard hit by the raging tech talent shortage these days. The low cost of hiring developers should not come with a trade-off of good quality code, long-term teams, and efficient work practices. Having carefully recruited and vetted over 1,500 engineers globally, it is by far the most wide-reaching marketplace for software engineers of its kind in the US.
Understandably, many business owners are highly skeptical of hiring remote developers. However, the pandemic and the demand for flexible work practices have strengthened the market for remote hiring. Tech companies are also building their intangible assets in the form of efficient hiring procedures and other in-house changes that will allow them to thrive in a more remote future. With thorough and rigorous recruitment and onboarding systems in place, companies like Gaper are resetting the standard for tech hiring.
Beyond Soul-Crushing Business Practices
Gaper has built a sizeable community of founders, entrepreneurs, investors, and seasoned industry professionals. One of them described how sticking to the rigid, inflexible systems of running a business can be soul-crushing. Hiring technical teams, engineers and developers especially when you have no significant experience in the field is something no one should have to undertake. Furthermore, it should also not be a reason for businesses to be sidelined in their industry, nor be forced to exit. Barriers to doing business can only truly be lowered when everyone has the right resources they need to sustainably run their business.
Gaper has been game-changing for such businesses. Despite being forced to work from home, facing local talent shortages, high cost of labor, and a lack of resources to hire skilled professionals, the company has been able to come through and equip its clients with the engineer teams they needed.
There is no need to waste your time on HR processes when they can be handed over to an expert in the niche and you can spend that time and resources on client acquisition, marketing, and other business growth efforts.
Conclusion
“The future of work is remote. Businesses that are too inflexible to accept are already seeing cracks in their company systems. You cannot continue to put the onus of running economies on the labor market. The pandemic forced the world to adapt and move on…Every other small business is recruiting at least a part of their tech team remotely now...Team augmentation services are a major part of running small businesses now ” - remarked Mustafa Najoom, VP of Sales.
Just when you thought businesses’ woes about tech talent had eased, we see fresh stats elucidating the continuing lack of tech resources. It goes without saying that if businesses do not adapt to the need of the hour, they will have more storms to brave in the future than just that of talent shortage. Gaper’s business model is adapted to the business environment of today whereby it directly targets the specific needs of its clients, and the fast–paced, innovation-led nature of our economies.