The data engineer talent shortage can be attributed to high demand for skilled professionals due to the increasing reliance on big data technologies, as well as a skill gap in programming, database management, and cloud computing expertise. Competition from other data-related roles has further exacerbated the issue. However, by bridging the gap through automation of unproductive work and task reallocation, it is possible to make data engineers 2x more efficient. This can be achieved by automating data structuring, governing data without relying on data engineers, and allowing analysts to explore structured data as part of curation. By implementing these strategies, teams can save up to 40-80% of a data engineer's time, allowing them to focus on their core responsibilities and address the talent shortage.