The number of technology employees nearing retirement in the state of Florida is proof positive that the so-called "silver tsunami" phenomenon is alive and well. In the video above, we caught up with Florida Chief Information Officer Eric Larson, who explains that the state's aging workforce is complicating their path to modernization, especially when it comes to legacy systems.
"We either have to modernize it, we have to outsource it, we have to get other people involved so we can sustain it until we can migrate to a different environment," Larson said in an interview at
last month's NASCIO midyear conference.
As Larson explained, the Florida Agency for State Technology was directed by state lawmakers to outsource the mainframe, in part due to workforce constraints.
"People that have been employed the longest won't be eligible to be employed by the state anymore," he said, "so that creates a crisis where we have a defined timeline to come up with another arrangement."
Noelle Knell is the executive editor for e.Republic, responsible for setting the overall direction for e.Republic’s editorial platforms, including Government Technology, Governing, Industry Insider, Emergency Management and the Center for Digital Education. She has been with e.Republic since 2011, and has decades of writing, editing and leadership experience. A California native, Noelle has worked in both state and local government, and is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with majors in political science and American history.
