Businesses are competing to acquire skilled AI-ready talent to implement solutions, but it’s not easy. Finding the right AI professionals can be very difficult, especially when local talent is scarce or prohibitively expensive.
This is why AI upskilling needs to be paired with offshore talent solutions. Small businesses can find affordable AI talent faster and more seamlessly.
The skills gap can be effortlessly bridged without throwing away a fortune.
AI Upskilling: The Current Skills Gap in AI
AI is the most sought-after field at the moment. Companies worldwide are investing in automation, machine learning, and data-driven technologies. The problem is that the demand for AI talent has outpaced the supply.
There is a need for thousands of skilled AI professionals globally. Many local experts are either unavailable or command extremely high salaries.
Traditional hiring practices—seeking local talent exclusively—may not be the best way forward anymore. Companies should look for offshore AI professionals who can provide the same expertise at a lower cost. Businesses need to fill critical roles quickly (effectively bridging the skills gap), and traditional methods clearly don’t help.
The Case for Offshore Talent
AI talent from India, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe are highly skilled and knowledgeable. Offshoring AI requirements to these places is a cost-effective solution to the AI skills gap. India, for instance, houses 16% of the world’s AI talent. Globalization and advanced communication technologies make it easier, too.
Smaller businesses need access to professionals who are just as skilled as their Western counterparts but are available at nearly half the cost. Offshoring opens windows to a larger pool of experienced professionals and reduces overhead costs.
Why does this strategy work?
The key to this strategy is understanding that many offshore professionals are trained in globally recognized institutions and have experience working with top-tier companies. India has long been a hub for technical talent, producing some of the world’s most capable engineers, data scientists, and AI developers.
AI Upskilling: Benefits of Offshoring for Companies
- Cost-Effectiveness: Hiring offshore AI talent can save businesses up to 50% in salary expenses. Companies can stretch their budget further and hire multiple experts for the cost of a single local professional.
- Speed to Hire: Offshore AI professionals are readily available. This is a significant benefit compared to the extended search and negotiation process for local talent. Rapid hiring allows businesses to jumpstart their AI initiatives and achieve results faster.
- Diverse Skill Sets: Offshore talent markets offer various skill sets. Whether a company needs machine learning experts, data scientists, or AI engineers, they can easily find the right match.
- Global Perspective: Hiring AI professionals from different regions brings diversity to the table. Diversity and inclusivity are precursors to innovation. Companies could do with fresh perspectives and insights that a more homogeneous team might not have considered.
- Scalability: As companies grow, so do their AI needs. Offshoring allows businesses to scale their teams efficiently, ensuring they have the manpower to tackle more extensive, more complex AI projects.
The Advantages of Continuous Learning in AI Upskilling
Offshore AI professionals have an advantage: they are accustomed to upgrading their skills regularly because they know they are competing in global markets where up-to-date knowledge matters.
They have access to top training resources and certification programs and proactively use all of them. They make it a point to stay on top of AI trends and are generally knowledgeable about the latest AI updates. They don’t lose their competitive edge.
The skills gap isn’t just closed for the present but continues to shrink over time.
Offshoring for Specialized AI Roles
Offshore markets are ideal for this because they allow businesses to hire for niche positions that might be hard to fill locally. For instance, a small town company needing someone with deep expertise in natural language processing (NLP) or computer vision will find it tough to fulfill that need. Offshore professionals with these specific skills are often available with impressive experience.
With offshore AI talent, businesses can build an AI team tailored to their exact needs, whether it’s deep learning, AI infrastructure, or algorithm development. Offshore professionals bring more expertise and perspective.
How to Manage Offshore AI Talent During AI Upskilling
Talent management isn’t a piece of cake. And offshore talent can be even more tricky. Good offshore service providers will make sure you never have to worry about maximizing the benefits of offshore AI upskilling. Here are the top directives that can make this task easier:
- Clear Communication: Offshore teams join meetings from different parts of the world, but all of them are fluent in English, and modern collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom make maintaining contact easy.
- Definite Expectations: Setting clear goals, timelines, and performance indicators helps offshore professionals deliver results aligned with business objectives. Providing regular feedback ensures the team remains productive and focused.
- Proper Management: Offshore teams have to be imperceptibly integrated into a company’s operations. But the truth is these ends are often frayed, and they end up being a team away from ‘the’ team. A sound management system takes care of this. Modern platforms like Jira or Trello can also help keep track of progress and deliverables.
- Solid Relationships: Offshoring is a business decision, but building long-term relationships with offshore AI talent is a valuable investment. A trusted offshore team will be more willing to collaborate on larger projects down the road.
Overcoming the Skills Shortage with Offshore Talent
The shortage and impracticality of local AI talent is not an obstacle.
Offshore AI upskilling is the easiest strategy to bridge the skills gap. We already have a deep pool of skilled professionals who offer world-class expertise at a fraction of the cost, and companies can easily access it.
This isn’t a stopgap fix, either. It’s a great long-term strategy that allows businesses to stay ahead in an ultra-competitive market.
Offshore AI talent has many added advantages, from reducing operational costs to improving scalability and innovation. Small companies naturally feel the pressure of the AI skills shortage, and offshore AI upskilling is the most practical way to bridge the gap.
