The InformationWeek -- Blogs
Welcome Guest. | Log In| Register | Membership Benefits



Topics:   Interop

  • Email this page E-mail this page
  • Print this page Print this page
  • Bookmark and Share
  • icon

Where's The Real Shortage: IT Workers Or IT Jobs?


Posted by Paul McDougall, May 23, 2007 04:53 PM

At Interop in Vegas, reps from tech services companies were pounding a familiar mantra: Offshore outsourcing is necessary because there aren't enough tech workers in the U.S. to meet demand. Will the Senate listen to them?


At a conference session on sourcing strategies on Wednesday, execs from IBM, Avaya, and CenterBeam spoke about the best ways to plan and implement an outsourcing initiative.

For the most part, it was about important, but dry stuff: A lot of talk about service level agreements, process integration, adherence to standards, and the like.

Then someone asked about outsourcing's impact on jobs.

It is, in the words of panel moderator Johna Till Johnson, of Nemertes Research, a "hot button issue."

Michael Massey, VP and GM of Avaya's Global Managed Services group, said that "reduction of personnel is always a concern" when Avaya takes over a customer's network operations.

But the truth, according the panelists, is that presently in the United States there aren't enough IT workers to go around. Massey said that in many cases Avaya customers call in an outsourcer simply because they aren't able to hire enough tech workers internally.

And Karen Hayward, chief sales and marketing officer at managed services provider CenterBeam, said "the market [for IT labor] is so tight we're filling open positions" when CenterBeam takes over an account.

By contrast, IT worker groups like Alliance@IBM and WashTech argue that the H-1B program, which is presently capped at 65,000 visas annually but could double under proposed legislation, already is too large and is costing American workers their jobs.

With the Senate debating sweeping changes to the nation's immigration laws, expect the voices arguing for, and against, increases in H-1B visas and other pro-immigrant measures to get louder and louder.

« Can Dell Figure Out How To Make A Cell Phone? | Main | Linden Lab CEO Philip Rosedale Talks About Identity, Anonymity, And Preserving Freedom In Second Life »



Sign Up Now
For InformationWeek News Alerts




This is a public forum. United Business Media and its affiliates are not responsible for and do not control what is posted herein. United Business Media makes no warranties or guarantees concerning any advice dispensed by its staff members or readers.

Community standards in this comment area do not permit hate language, excessive profanity, or other patently offensive language. Please be aware that all information posted to this comment area becomes the property of United Business Media LLC and may be edited and republished in print or electronic format as outlined in United Business Media's Terms of Service.

Important Note: This comment area is NOT intended for commercial messages or solicitations of business.




 
 

  1. Massive Parallelism Has a Name ... Extreme Scale Computing
  2. Intel Turbo Boost Technology Monitor: A Windows Gadget to Understand Dynamic Frequencies
  3. Two-Stage Input Parallel Pipeline: Part 2


Join The InformationWeek Group On LinkedIn


  1. Latest Windows Mobile 7 Rumors
  2. Android 2.1 With Multitouch Headed To Motorola Droid
  3. Google's Universal Translator
  4. Rating The Mobile Superbowl Ads


  1. Microsoft Fixes 26 Vulnerabilities In Windows, Office
  2. Intel Ships Itanium Server Processor
  3. Commerce Department Proposes One-Stop Climate Service
  4. Microsoft Denies Windows 7 Battery Bug
  5. Google Buzz Challenges Facebook, Twitter
  6. Android, iPhone Gain In Smartphone Market

 

  Ars Technica
Boing Boing
Channel 9 Forums
CRN Blogs
Dr.Dobb's Portal: Blogs
Engadget
Gizmodo
GrokLaw
  Lifehacker
Schneier on Security
Slashdot
TechCrunch
Techdirt
Techmeme
Valleywag

  DECEMBER 2008
NOVEMBER 2008
OCTOBER 2008
SEPTEMBER 2008
AUGUST 2008
JULY 2008
JUNE 2008
MAY 2008
  APRIL 2008
MARCH 2008
FEBRUARY 2008
JANUARY 2008
DECEMBER 2007
NOVEMBER 2007
OCTOBER 2007
SEPTEMBER 2007