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See Full StoryMany companies have scaled back staffing levels and instituted mandatory hiring freezes in the past few years. Even so -- and somewhat surprisingly, considering the number of IT specialists out of work -- there is sometimes a shortage of qualified candidates to fill the gaps, even when money is budgeted for hiring. What skills are in demand -- and are hundreds of thousands of IT jobs really going unfilled?
Re: Probing the IT Skills Shortage
Posted by: 5555ever 2003-07-17 12:04:30 In reply to: Elizabeth Millard
As a consumer, I realize that you get what you pay for. Corporations should also know this and value the experience that out-of-work experienced IT Professionals bring to the table.
I have supervisory experience and book knowledge. My experience helps me resolve issues quicker and better because I know what has worked in the past and I see the whole picture. The same is true for IT professionals; they have been there and done that in a quick-changing technological environment. They use real-world experience backing their analysis.
I don't think that IT professionals have priced themselves out of jobs... I think corporations need to cut costs and are taking a chance on inexperienced IT professionals.
As a consumer, I will pay the extra bucks for an experienced auto mechanic, roofer, and hairdresser; because I don't want to deal with the hassle of erroneous work.
IT professionals work on a salary basis, which means they get paid the same amount regardless of the hours it takes to meet deadlines. Are corporations taking advantage of inexperienced IT workers?
I have supervisory experience and book knowledge. My experience helps me resolve issues quicker and better because I know what has worked in the past and I see the whole picture. The same is true for IT professionals; they have been there and done that in a quick-changing technological environment. They use real-world experience backing their analysis.
I don't think that IT professionals have priced themselves out of jobs... I think corporations need to cut costs and are taking a chance on inexperienced IT professionals.
As a consumer, I will pay the extra bucks for an experienced auto mechanic, roofer, and hairdresser; because I don't want to deal with the hassle of erroneous work.
IT professionals work on a salary basis, which means they get paid the same amount regardless of the hours it takes to meet deadlines. Are corporations taking advantage of inexperienced IT workers?
Re: Probing the IT Skills Shortage
Posted by: ehlarson 2003-07-17 08:53:15 In reply to: Elizabeth Millard
Skills shortage because pay demands are too high? That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard of. Any consultant should know better. The fact is that there is such a thing as a law of supply and demand in the labor market as well as anywhere else. If demand in a particular area is high, cost will increase. That is the way a market economy works. When the price for a service or product increases in the market, the supply will increase as people work to fill the demand. If a purchaser is unwilling to purchase a good or service at the market price, then he must be making a decision that the value is not there for him.
Companies that now find themselves with skill shortages after dumping their IT resources have little sympathy from me. They dug the holes they are in all by themselves.
Wages have been stagnant and opportunities meager during this recession, and overtime long and hard due to employers taking advantage of lack of mobility. Now with the economy turning it is going to be a very different market. With low levels of new IT graduates coming into the market, and exodus from the IT profession by many experienced professionals, I think we are heading for an IT shortage that is going to make the dot.bomb era look mild by comparison.
I think that offshore consultancies will become saturated and there will be a shortage of IT capability worldwide.
The companies that are going to do well are those that retained their key IT staff and treated their employees well during the recession. Those that abused or laid off staff are going to suffer.
Companies that now find themselves with skill shortages after dumping their IT resources have little sympathy from me. They dug the holes they are in all by themselves.
Wages have been stagnant and opportunities meager during this recession, and overtime long and hard due to employers taking advantage of lack of mobility. Now with the economy turning it is going to be a very different market. With low levels of new IT graduates coming into the market, and exodus from the IT profession by many experienced professionals, I think we are heading for an IT shortage that is going to make the dot.bomb era look mild by comparison.
I think that offshore consultancies will become saturated and there will be a shortage of IT capability worldwide.
The companies that are going to do well are those that retained their key IT staff and treated their employees well during the recession. Those that abused or laid off staff are going to suffer.
Re: Probing the IT Skills Shortage
Posted by: XITer 2003-07-17 08:47:16 In reply to: Elizabeth Millard
Let's see "businesses now are facing skill gaps that hurt their IT departments" but "[t]here's just a shortage of people who are willing to work for the wages that companies are offering right now."
There used to be this popular idea called "capitalism" based on the notion of "supply and demand". Maybe it doesn't apply to professionals who aren't CEOs? Either that or hurting IT departments don't hurt businesses sufficiently for them to pay to relieve the pain.
Another disconnect between IT and the business world: apparently someone can learn about "business" in general - say, by getting an MBA - then go on to work in any sort of business, whether it be one that makes cardboard boxes or software. In IT, however, people are pigeon-holed - you may have telecom people, but you need someone else to do WiFi.
Most IT people I've known would be happy to stay at a company that offers continual training opportunities and allows them to move to new areas. Of course, there's the problem that a person skilled in a number of areas who's been with the company for a number of years might expect more money than someone more junior.
There used to be this popular idea called "capitalism" based on the notion of "supply and demand". Maybe it doesn't apply to professionals who aren't CEOs? Either that or hurting IT departments don't hurt businesses sufficiently for them to pay to relieve the pain.
Another disconnect between IT and the business world: apparently someone can learn about "business" in general - say, by getting an MBA - then go on to work in any sort of business, whether it be one that makes cardboard boxes or software. In IT, however, people are pigeon-holed - you may have telecom people, but you need someone else to do WiFi.
Most IT people I've known would be happy to stay at a company that offers continual training opportunities and allows them to move to new areas. Of course, there's the problem that a person skilled in a number of areas who's been with the company for a number of years might expect more money than someone more junior.
Re: Probing the IT Skills Shortage
Posted by: jviescas 2003-07-16 17:43:02 In reply to: Elizabeth Millard
Good article. Demonstrates the sheer ignorance of business leaders today. I predict the shortage will continue for a long time until business realizes they must change their expectations for what "qualified" means. Capability is a much better way of judging abilities. I am speaking as one of the laid off IT workers with 18 years worth of experience in software. I took all the training courses offered by my company, but in the end it did absolutely no good. Business believes software skills are trivial! This is a very bad mistake. Programming in a particular language is trivial, but gathering requirements and doing the requirements analysis are not skills that can be learned in a classroom, and they are the most critical skills. They are also not trivial by any means. There are many other reasons I could give where business is making a huge mistake by abandoning many of its domestic work-force, but it would be a meaningless gesture for the tiny little brains that seem to reside within the heads of the so-called leaders of the corporate world have demonstrated that they just cannot understand them.
Re: Probing the IT Skills Shortage
Posted by: rogerof 2003-07-16 14:02:06 In reply to: Elizabeth Millard
Your last line, "There's just a shortage of people who are willing to work for the wages that companies are offering right now" is quite a telling statement of employers' expectations.
I'm having the same trouble. I am looking for a cheap handy man to fix things around the house, do my taxes, and take out the kid's tonsils. But I find such handy men want too much money.
wakeup
I'm having the same trouble. I am looking for a cheap handy man to fix things around the house, do my taxes, and take out the kid's tonsils. But I find such handy men want too much money.
wakeup
