May 16, 2022
The need existed pre-pandemic, but has reached a crescendo now, with a record number of job openings (11.5M vs 7M pre-pandemic) and almost 2 jobs available for every unemployed worker. The roots of this problem run deep - contrary to the typical media narrative, pandemic-era retirements and immigration shutdowns have created much of the current situation. But some industries were near shortage in 2019, before the pandemic turned life upside down.
Software is one of those industries - in recent months recruiters have resorted to more and more desperate measures to acquire talent. The industry lately feels a bit like a merry-go-round for HR departments, as they push harder and harder, only to find they are just spinning in place as one developer joins and another one goes. This zero-sum recruitment game can't be fixed with better recruiting practices, or better HR platforms, or better retention strategies. Just like the housing market, supply is the only fix! Enter gig platforms like TopTal and remote work platforms to encourage offshore team building. Those help, but each comes with its own set of challenges - how do you continue to build your core US team when there just aren't enough workers?
When I built HiddenLevers, I made a pointed decision to bootstrap - so we had no room to waste capital. We began hiring developers on a half-time basis, while letting them retain their full-time jobs (prior to HL I did side contracts as a developer for years, so this was a natural step for me). This turned into a huge win-win: we got access to senior developers with capacity, and they monetized their free time without the hassle of constantly switching gigs. About a third of our development team was halftime over a decade, with a zero turnover rate (several of them switched their day jobs but stuck with us throughout).
As an entrepreneur considering what's next, it occurred to me that this model could work at scale. Based on our research, half a million developers could take on halftime work [1]. Adding the equivalent of 250k developers to the US workforce would fill 60% of expected demand [2]. And of course this doesn't just apply to developers - millions of Americans in other professional jobs could participate, filling huge gaps in the US workforce. I'm excited to start down this road, with a mission of normalizing the idea of working 0.5, 1, or 1.5 jobs in the professional world. This kind of flexibility will empower the workforce and help solve labor shortages in the years ahead.
Hit me on LinkedIn, at praveen at halftimer.co, or via our site to learn more!
[1] There are almost 5M Americans employed in “Computer and Mathematical” positions, with adjacent fields like UI/UX design and product management swelling the numbers further. In interviews with hundreds of developers, we’ve found that almost 40% are interested in halftime positions (in addition to full-time work). Our screening and interview process has shown that about 1/3 of interested developers have the combination of technical and self-management skills needed to be effective as a halftimer. Based on these metrics, there may be a qualified pool of 500,000 halftimers across the United States.
[2] According the the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 400,000 additional software developers will be needed by 2030 - 60% of this could be covered by tapping the spare capacity of the existing workforce via halftimers!
