8 ms·

There Is No Shortage of Tech Workers

10 points by lmg643 13y ago

CmonNoReg 13y ago
"For every two students that U.S. colleges graduate with STEM degrees, only one is hired into a STEM job." As if everyone who graduates is actually capable of doing the job. As if all the colleges are equal.
- thebooktocome 13y ago
  May I draw your attention to figure E: http://www.epi.org/publication/bp359-guestworkers-high-skill-labor-market-analysis/ http://www.epi.org/publication/bp359-guestworkers-high-skill... Only a third of that half of US STEM graduates are not working in STEM because they don't have jobs available to them. That figure, and the comparison with engineering, better supports the hypothesis that companies aren't willing to provide sufficient benefits.
pm90 13y ago
Actual study:(linked in the article) http://www.epi.org/publication/bp359-guestworkers-high-skill-labor-market-analysis/ http://www.epi.org/publication/bp359-guestworkers-high-skill...
arindone 13y ago
'There is no shortage of tech workers' != 'There is no shortage of GOOD tech workers' What has been bothering me about this study is that almost no effort has been made to quantify or even investigate the quality of these workers. A community college can pump out STEM folk by the bundle, but they're not the quality that a school like MIT will produce -- the latter of which we desperately need and the former of which are f*ing worthless.
- thebooktocome 13y ago
  Read the actual study (linked in other comments). The whole first section is on "high-performing students", and how the US' supply compares with other countries.
pm90 13y ago
"There is no shortage of tech workers" says someone who has no experience or need to hire tech workers. The best way to gain perspective of demand and supply in the technology market would have been for the author to request aggregate data from career sites such as linkedIn/Glassdoor etc. Most of the data seems to be from NSF and other Govt. statistical organizations. As others have pointed out, the fact remains that an 'IT degree' is just a piece of paper, actual skills is what counts.
tenpoundhammer 13y ago
I think this is the key point, "53 percent say they found better job opportunities outside of IT occupations". I don't think tech employers are willing to provide the pay, benefits,and working conditions necessary to attract the workers they want. Tech employers are also unwilling to invest in employees. It's hard to find a decent entry level position right out of college. We can't expect college graduates to be %100 ready on day one, they need on the job experience. Too many good people are leaving for better paying industries,with better benefits, and better work life balances.
lmg643 13y ago
I wonder how many folks working in startup-land have ever seen a H1B-farm company operating in the US. I have seen qualified US candidates turned down ... because they were too expensive. Anyone looking for over $130k is too expensive. Instead, the company hires a string of H1B employees. The day they show up, the company starts the green card process, and they basically work there for years until it comes through. The average developer is ... average, but they do a lot of GUI customization for users, so they don't need to be very good. The company is trading a public good (right to work in the US) to an employee in return for their willingness to work at a "below-market wage" for long periods of time. I don't know how you can look at this arrangement as anything but a disadvantage to US tech workers. You could say that a company like this would eventually go out of business given the lack of intensity behind the development of their products, but there's something to be said for keeping your costs rock bottom as a long-term strategy.

10 points by lmg643 13y ago

"For every two students that U.S. colleges graduate with STEM degrees, only one is hired into a STEM job." As if everyone who graduates is actually capable of doing the job. As if all the colleges are equal.

thebooktocome 13y ago
May I draw your attention to figure E: http://www.epi.org/publication/bp359-guestworkers-high-skill-labor-market-analysis/ http://www.epi.org/publication/bp359-guestworkers-high-skill... Only a third of that half of US STEM graduates are not working in STEM because they don't have jobs available to them. That figure, and the comparison with engineering, better supports the hypothesis that companies aren't willing to provide sufficient benefits.

pm90 13y ago

Actual study:(linked in the article) http://www.epi.org/publication/bp359-guestworkers-high-skill-labor-market-analysis/ http://www.epi.org/publication/bp359-guestworkers-high-skill...

arindone 13y ago

'There is no shortage of tech workers' != 'There is no shortage of GOOD tech workers' What has been bothering me about this study is that almost no effort has been made to quantify or even investigate the quality of these workers. A community college can pump out STEM folk by the bundle, but they're not the quality that a school like MIT will produce -- the latter of which we desperately need and the former of which are f*ing worthless.

thebooktocome 13y ago
Read the actual study (linked in other comments). The whole first section is on "high-performing students", and how the US' supply compares with other countries.

pm90 13y ago

"There is no shortage of tech workers" says someone who has no experience or need to hire tech workers. The best way to gain perspective of demand and supply in the technology market would have been for the author to request aggregate data from career sites such as linkedIn/Glassdoor etc. Most of the data seems to be from NSF and other Govt. statistical organizations. As others have pointed out, the fact remains that an 'IT degree' is just a piece of paper, actual skills is what counts.

tenpoundhammer 13y ago

I think this is the key point, "53 percent say they found better job opportunities outside of IT occupations". I don't think tech employers are willing to provide the pay, benefits,and working conditions necessary to attract the workers they want. Tech employers are also unwilling to invest in employees. It's hard to find a decent entry level position right out of college. We can't expect college graduates to be %100 ready on day one, they need on the job experience. Too many good people are leaving for better paying industries,with better benefits, and better work life balances.

lmg643 13y ago

I wonder how many folks working in startup-land have ever seen a H1B-farm company operating in the US. I have seen qualified US candidates turned down ... because they were too expensive. Anyone looking for over $130k is too expensive. Instead, the company hires a string of H1B employees. The day they show up, the company starts the green card process, and they basically work there for years until it comes through. The average developer is ... average, but they do a lot of GUI customization for users, so they don't need to be very good. The company is trading a public good (right to work in the US) to an employee in return for their willingness to work at a "below-market wage" for long periods of time. I don't know how you can look at this arrangement as anything but a disadvantage to US tech workers. You could say that a company like this would eventually go out of business given the lack of intensity behind the development of their products, but there's something to be said for keeping your costs rock bottom as a long-term strategy.