Publishers Face “Digital Talent” Emergency

One so far mostly unsung impact of digital growth in publishing, and the advent of the iPad, is the need for publishers to hire lots of digital-savvy employees to create and manage the new kinds of content the market suddenly demands.

In a press release yesterday, Lynne Seid, Partner in the Global Consumer Marketing Practice at leadership advisory firm Heidrick & Struggles, said, “It’s a mistake to think that you can simply bring in a ‘new media person who is fluent in that world without being grounded in the traditional publishing model–even if that model is exploding. Organizations need talent at the top that can bridge the old and new worlds. Right now, there is a gap between what companies need and the leadership available to build this bridge.”

This notion of bridging the old and the new is especially complicated in an industry often staffed by folks who got their jobs before the Internet. Young people have been told for years that it’s difficult to break into the publishing business and that jobs are vanishing every day.

We’re curious to know what kinds of staffing changes you’re seeing in your company? Are young digital whiz-kids being hired to handle the new workload? Are older folks having a hard or easy time with new business models and content? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

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