The mere fact of something being expensive doesn't mean that there is a shortage of it. A shortage is when there is less of a given thing than there is demand f

The mere fact of something being expensive doesn't mean that there is a shortage of it. A shortage is when there is less of a given thing than there is demand for it. Typically, demand goes down when price goes up and there is no longer a shortage, so a lack of essential goods like water would be considered a shortage because demand cannot retreat in the way that demand for programmers can retreat.