The workforce cliff: What happens when the last IBM i engineer retires from government

On Dec. 26, 1777, an 85-year-old British woman named Dorothy Pentreath died in the quaintly named seaside town of Mousehole in Cornwall. She spent most of her life selling fish, but she is remembered for a far more significant reason: she was the last native speaker of the ancient Cornish language. It’s a fascinating subject for linguists and historians. 

Like it or not, we are on the cusp of a similar event in the mainframe and midrange universe as the last generation of native Common Business-Oriented Language, assembler and Programming Language One programmers and architects retire.

Many state and local agencies still run mission‑critical systems for taxes, licensing, justice and benefits on the venerable IBM i and IBM Z platforms, yet the institutional knowledge keeping them alive is concentrated in a shrinking group of late‑career specialists. The result is a growing operational and cybersecurity risk that isn’t captured in most modernization conversations.

What comes next is anybody’s guess, but government agencies need to figure it out in a hurry because we are less than five years away from the technology equivalent of the death of Dorothy Pentreath. This isn’t an insignificant problem: according to IBM, 89% of U.S. state governments use mainframe computers, and hundreds of cities such as Honolulu have been using them since the 1960s. And when you mix in agencies at the state and local level that rely on IBM i, the number of departments rises into the thousands.

The nature and scope of the risk can’t be understated, and addressing and fixing the problem is a massive challenge. A common response is to simply replace incumbent systems, but it’s not that easy. It’s one thing to retire aging vehicles or swap out incandescent lights for fluorescent bulbs. But it’s quite another to pull out systems that have worked remarkably well for decades and expect to replace them with no disruptions. 

That’s because mainframe and midrange systems are in many ways victims of their own success: they are so good and so reliable that organizations that rely on them can't live without them, but at the same time they are facing a cliff when it comes to finding people to run them.

One of the best-known lines from Sherlock Holmes is,  "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” In the world of mainframes and midrange systems, when it is too risky and expensive to replace systems and impossible to replace retiring employees, what “truth” is left for government agencies?

The answer is modernizing these systems in a structured manner that will lead to the best possibilities: technologies that meet the needs of the public that aren’t dependent on a rapidly shrinking pool of specialized programmers and architects. And at the same time, the end result has to reduce operational risks for state and local governments, even as backend operations change.

“Modernization” is a word you hear used a lot. But what does this really mean in the real world? Governments have several strategies they can implement to modernize these systems effectively.

Invest in Training and Knowledge Transfer

Recruiting top engineering talent is already an uphill battle for government agencies, going head-to-head with Big Tech for software engineers is a fight most agencies are not equipped to win on compensation alone. 

One way to level the playing field is through robust in-house training programs that give new hires something the private sector rarely offers: structured, deep technical development. Pairing that with formal mentorship where veteran engineers pass their hard-won expertise directly to the next generation makes the opportunity even more compelling. 

Backed by access to targeted learning resources like IBM i and IBM Z-focused courses and workshops, agencies can build a pipeline of IT professionals who are genuinely ready to own and advance the systems these organizations depend upon.

Adopt Hybrid Cloud Solutions

Implementing hybrid cloud solutions allows state and local governments to leverage the scalability and flexibility of cloud environments while still utilizing their existing IBM i and IBM Z systems. 

By gradually migrating non-critical applications to the cloud, agencies can reduce dependence on the more powerful hardware while maintaining access to essential data and functionality. This approach also supports interoperability with modern applications, enhancing overall system efficiency.

Utilize Modern Development Practices

Modern development methodologies, such as DevOps and Agile, can significantly enhance the lifecycle of older applications. By adopting these frameworks, governments can improve collaboration between development and operations teams, fostering faster deployment and iterative improvements of applications running on IBM i and IBM Z. 

Emphasizing continuous integration and delivery ensures that these systems can adapt more readily to evolving business needs.

Integrate with Modern Technologies

State and local governments could explore ways to integrate concepts like APIs and microservices with their IBM i and IBM Z systems. This allows for the seamless connection of marrying IBM i and Z data with contemporary applications, enhancing both functionality and the user experience. 

Such integrations can also facilitate the adoption of data analytics and business intelligence tools, which can deliver valuable insights to drive informed decision-making.

Develop a Modernization Roadmap

Creating a comprehensive modernization roadmap is vital for ensuring systematic upgrades to these mission-critical systems. This roadmap should outline the specific goals and timelines for the migration of services and applications, prioritizing those that are critical for operational continuity. In conjunction with this roadmap, government departments should allocate sufficient resources to support the ongoing modernization efforts.

Modernizing IBM i and IBM Z systems is a multifaceted challenge for any business dependent upon these foundational platforms, especially with the retirement of experienced personnel. Through training, adopting hybrid solutions, modern development practices, integrating new technologies, and by creating a clear roadmap, government agencies can evolve their IT infrastructure. 

Adopting the mindset of “continuous modernization” will better equip them to meet the demands of digital governance and improve public service delivery. How do you eat an elephant? One spoonful at a time.

Jennifer Nelson is CEO at Izzi Software, where she collaborates with technical founders to strategically plan and execute their next phase of growth, ensuring their continued success and innovation. Jennifer is a visionary leader with over 25 years of experience in the IBM mainframe and Power space. She has a proven track record of driving strategic transformation, successfully leading global engineering teams to modernize legacy applications and shaping the technical roadmap. Jennifer’s expertise spans managing P&L units ranging from $10 million to $600 million, where she consistently introduced new technologies to the market, fueling organic growth.