The US government is proving to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the tech industry’s mass layoffs.
The tech industry has laid off tens of thousands of workers in recent months following significant miscalculations about the state of the post-pandemic economy. Despite the downturn, the federal government is seeing an opportunity, finally able to compete with Big Tech’s recruitment.
According to CNBC, Kurt DelBene, chief information officer at the US Department of Veterans Affairs, is one such individual that is looking to hire laid-off tech workers. The CIO, who previously spent 30 years at Microsoft, wants software engineers and designers who can “really sink their teeth into designing and redesigning new systems” as the VA accelerates its digital transformation.
“It’s one thing to build productivity software for individuals,” DelBene said. “It’s quite another to think about how your systems deliver healthcare benefits to veterans who have so selflessly given of themselves to defend our country.”
DelBene isn’t the only one who sees an opportunity.
“This is an opportunity for those industries, that have traditionally lagged behind in digital transformation and cybersecurity, to hire talent at a level they may not have been able to before when the tech industry was gobbling them up,” Simone Petrella, CEO of CyberVista, told CNBC.