| There
have been many changes in the economy since the dot-com bust of 2000
and the tragic events of September 11, 2001, but consistent need for
skilled information technology (IT) workers has not changed. If anything,
the shortfall of skilled workers for available jobs has narrowed to
a degree, but a significant gap still exists. |
| The
2001 Information Technology Association of America study Building
Better Information Technology Skills and Careers states that while
850,000 technology jobs would go unfilled in 2000 because of a lack
of skilled workers, in 2001, 425,000 skilled technology jobs would
still go unfilled despite the mild recession at the time. More recently,
in February 2002, the John J. Heldrich Center of Workforce Development
also conducted a study Work Trends that contains similar findings. |
| Even
though employers report eliminating some positions and even having
strong concern about the economy in the aftermath of the recession
and September 11, they have not instated hiring freezes; nearly half
of all 1000 companies surveyed in this study still report difficulty
in finding the skilled, qualified workers they need. Companies in
both studies represent most sectors of the economy (agriculture, mining,
construction, manufacturing, transportation, communications, utilities,
wholesale and retail trade, finance, insurance, real estate, services
and others) and within theses groups surveyed, non-IT companies are
the larger employers of IT skilled workers. |
| The
Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) and Heldrich
data represent for-profit companies, but in the public sector, the
need for skilled IT workers is also pronounced. For example, in an
October 2001 article, Infoworld reports that the federal government
is in severe need of IT workers and is facing an "IT brain drain"
as over half of all federal IT workers will be eligible for retirement
in the next 5 to 6 years. In fact, less than one percent of federal
IT workers are under 25 years of age and only about 10 percent of
federal IT workers are under 35 years of age. With up to 33% increases
in starting salaries above the limits of the year 2000 for computer
specialists and engineers, the article reports that the government
hopes to start filling vacancy rates that are two to every one filled
position within federal ranks. |
| According
to the ITAA study, technical support, programming/software engineering,
network design and support, database development and administration,
enterprise system integration digital design and technical writing
are the skills that seem to be in most demand in the information technology
arena. Additionally, other sources like Internet job sites such as
Monster.com emphasize the need for IT skilled workers, while adding
that soft skills such as communication and management abilities, desktop
know-how as well teamwork and good business practices are still highly
sought after. |
| The
latest numbers from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shown below
note that eight of the top 10 fastest growing occupations in America
are computer technology related: |
| Table
1. Fastest growing occupations, 2000-10 [Numbers in thousands of jobs] |
|
Occupation
|
Employment
|
Change
|
|
|
|
2000 |
2001 |
Number |
Percent |
| Computer software engineers, applications
|
380
|
760
|
380
|
100
|
| Computer support specialists |
506 |
996 |
490 |
97 |
| Computer software engineers, systems
software |
317 |
601 |
284 |
90 |
| Network and computer systems administrators
|
229 |
416 |
187 |
82 |
| Network systems and data
communications analysts |
119 |
211 |
92 |
77 |
| Desktop publishers |
38 |
63 |
25 |
67 |
| Database administrators |
106 |
176 |
70 |
66 |
| Personal and home care aides |
414 |
672 |
258 |
62 |
| Computer systems analysts
|
431 |
689 |
258 |
60 |
| Medical assistants |
329 |
516 |
187 |
57 |
|
| An
important fact about jobs for skilled IT workers is that the pay is
relatively very good. A recent survey found on realrates.com (see
References) show an average salary between $39- $140/hr and $30,500
to $280,000 annually. Note that while many surveyed have a bachelor's
degree, this is not always needed, although, invariably worker education
has been supplemented by certification in certain technologies. This
survey is in concordance with information that the Heldrich Center
for Workforce Development has collected that show 8 in 10 workers
would like to enroll in continuing education and of those who have
received continuing education, 91% find that it has helped them to
be more productive at work. It also affirms findings of the ITAA study
which assert that even though four-year degrees are the preferred
method for pre-hire scrutiny of a candidate's skills, IT companies
view certificatione at least as important as a bachelor's degree. |
| As
market research indicates, traditional non-IT companies are larger
employers of IT skills than those solely related to the IT industry.
With this in mind almost every company in Greater Phoenix can be a
potential employer of IT skills, as an example. However, a recent
search on Monster, AZCentral and HotJobs Web sites reveals that as
of May 2002, the sample companies below are among those in greater
Phoenix currently actively seeking employees with strong IT credentials: |
TriWest Healthcare Alliance
Motorola
PDS Productive Data Systems
Siemens Business Services
Bank One
Lockheed Martin
Conseco, Inc
NCS Pearson
Honeywell
Cox Communications
Charles Schwab & Co.
Siebel Systems, Inc.
PETsMART
DHL Worldwide Express
Mercer Human Resource Consulting
SBC Communications
AT&T
KSolutions, Inc.
Banner Health System
Maricopa County
|
|
| Note
that this list does not include staffing companies that are typically
asked to do searches for small businesses, and small businesses make
up over 90% of the companies actively doing business in Arizona. |
| Other
good resources for technology jobs and outlook in our community are
the many professional organizations that serve Arizona technologists.
These include: |
|
|
| Finally,
other popular Internet sites that specialize in servicing the information
technology industry nationwide include: |
|
|
|
References:
ITAA
Report: When can you Start? Building Better Information Technology
Skills and Careers available at http://www.itaa.org/workforce/studies/01execsumm.htm
|
| John
J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development , Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey Report: Work Trends: Standing on Shaky Ground
available
here |
| Jones,
Jennifer, "A federal call for IT," Infoworld, 10.01.01,pgs 44-45,
also available
here |
| US
Bureau of Labor Statistics available at:http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecopro.t06.htm
|
| Monster
State of the Workplace archives: Rossheim, John,"The Skills Gap
and The American Workforce"(04.24.02) http://content.monster.com/skillsgap/ |
| Realrates.com
Job Survey available at: http://www.realrates.com/survey.htm
|
