IT workers scarce by 2005

A shortage of information technology
workers, expected by 2005, may pose a risk to the U.S. economy, according to a government report released
today.

The report, "America's New Deficit: The Shortage of
Information Technology Workers," examines the potential for a shortage of


information technology workers in the United States as well as the critical impact that shortage could have
on the nation's economy. The Office of
Technology Policy, an agency of the
Commerce Department's Technology Administration, issued the report.

It seems evident that America will soon lack a supply
of qualified "core" IT workers, such as computer scientists and engineers,
systems analysts, and computer programmers, the government said in the document. Since the shortage of IT workers is becoming a global problem, U.S. employers will face tough competition to
hire and keep highly skilled IT employees.

As a result of newly created jobs and other vacancies, the agency estimates
that the United States will require more than 1 million IT core workers by
the year 2005. This shortage in IT workers will affect not only computer and
software industries, but also manufacturing and services, transportation,
health care, education, and government, according to the document.

If not reversed, these shortages could undermine the United States' economic
performance, the Office of Technology Policy concluded in the paper.

IT recruiters said they are not surprised by the report and attribute the
possible shortage to the increased presence of software in most areas of
everyday life.

Although it's a dark forecast, Greg Selker, vice president and principal with executive search firm
Christian & Timbers, isn't surprised by the
government's findings either. "It makes a lot of sense. Look at the invasion of
software into every aspect of our lives right now. The information age has
arrived."

However, those releasing the report point to the new century. The
anticipated shortage is also driven by the amount of
technology jobs created by the Year 2000 problem, said Rene Edwards, a spokesperson for the Commerce Department, which oversees the Office of Technology Policy.

Edwards said, "The Year 2000 problem is
being fixed by IT workers who know the old codes like COBOL, which is not
being taught in school today, so older professionals are getting the work.
In the future, the Internet, HTML, and new software will change the whole
way we use information globally."

She said the report found that COBOL
programmers are not being replaced by HTML workers. "So it's a
combination of the new technologies and attrition" of the IT workforce.

Selker cited academia as another possible reason for the shortage.
He said that universities and technical institutes have only just begun
turning out certified Windows NT administrators and other highly skilled
technicians, for instance.

Also, Selker added, if given a choice of careers, the majority of people would
still pick law, medicine, or engineering over computer science.
"It's cultural awareness. Parents still say they want their son or daughter
to be a doctor, not computer scientist."

Another report released earlier
in the month, done by RHI
Consulting, a firm that specializes in placing temporary technology
workers, found that 27 percent of chief information officers surveyed said they planned to
increase their IT staff by the end of the year. That figure is up slightly
from 26 percent during the second half of the year, as Year 2000
problems and networking fueled the need to hire more IT workers.