| The
Commerce report points out that IT was responsible for more
than a third of the growth in the U.S. economy between 1995
and 1997, and IT accounts for almost half of the nation’s
long-term growth since World War II.
Other
findings in the report:
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Between 1987 and 1998, the unemployment rate for IT workers
was approximately 2%, compared to a 42-year low of 4.2% for
all workers in March of this year.
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From 1996 to 2006, the number of core IT workers-computer
scientists, computer engineers, systems analysts, and computer
programmers-will have grown from 1.5 million in 1996 to 2.6
million in 2006; add another 250,000 or so to replace those
exiting these professions.
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Between 1983 and 1998, the number of IT workers increased
190%, to 2.1 million, more than six times the nation’s
job growth rate.
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Women are still underrepresented in the IT labor force, accounting
for only 12% of the IT population in 1998.
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Minorities, including African Americans and Hispanics, are
also underrepresented in the IT labor force. African Americans
represent 7.2% and Hispanics account for 3.6% of computer
systems analysts and scientists; they represent 6.4% and 4.9%
of computer programmers, respectively.
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Traffic on the Internet is doubling every 100 days, propagating
the need for hardware, software, and skilled IT workers to
implement and manage Internet systems.
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The mix of knowledge and skills varies from one IT position
to another, making it difficult for employers to find and
hire employees with the right mix of skills, such as Java
programmers, and computer security and E-commerce specialists.
- 75%
of computer systems analysts and scientists, and nearly 80%
of computer programmers, are under the age of 45.
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The IT industry is increasing its use of temporary workers.
Total wages paid for assigned technical workers-a category
that includes computer programmers, systems analysts, designers,
drafters, editors, engineers, and illustrators grew from $1.9
billion in 1991 to $4.7 billion in 1998.
The
report points out that in a rapidly growing industry, “vacancies
are a normal part of business.” In addition, getting
the right individual with just the right combination of IT
skills is especially challenging. “Many companies are
demanding IT people that are an exact fit with their job descriptions,”
says Kelly Cames, assistant secretary designate for the Department
of Commerce. “These companies need to train and retrain
individuals and help to equip them with the combination of
IT skills that they’re looking for.”
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