Geek Mystique

Septembe r 1997 / Bits / Geek Mystique

Coming: Info Tech Labor Shortage

Good news, bad news. A recent report from the Meta Group (Stamford, CT), the information-technology (IT) research and analysis firm, says salaries for U.S. IT workers are rising faster than thos e for workers in other fields, but it forecasts a labor shortage of skilled information workers.
The problem is that increased demands for new information systems and new Internet and electronic-commerce applications are coming at the same time that companies are racing to find and fix all their potential year 2000 problems. Companies can satisfy some of these needs through outsourcing, but many IT departments will still be stretched thin. The Meta Group advises organizations to combat any overcommitments with strict project prioritization, triage, and selective outsourcing.
The g ood news is that IT salaries are rising at an annual increase of 20 percent, compared to 4 percent in other fields. And the job-growth rate for IT is accelerating: 1987 to 1994 at 9.6 percent per year, 1994 to 1995 at 11.7 percent per year, and 1995 to 1996 at 13.8 percent per year. The Meta Group estimates that about 200,000 jobs in the IT field are not filled.

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Matthew Wilson
My approach to software engineering is far more pragmatic than it is theoretical--and no language better exemplifies this than C++.

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