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Don't Believe President Obama's Hype About An Engineer 'Shortage'
Forbes ^ | 09/15/2014 | John Tamny

Posted on 09/15/2014 3:26:55 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

[SNIP]

All of which brings us to the latest popular lament among pundits, politicians, and even some in the business world: the perceived lack of engineers and/or ‘STEM’ (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) graduates. President Obama has said “We need more engineers,” so has Hillary Clinton, and then Lockheed Martin executive Stephanie Hill recently stated that “we’ll lose” if we don’t produce at least 1 million more ‘STEM’ grads.

About all the handwringing, readers can relax. Indeed, there’s nothing to this story or alleged shortage. Price signals work. They always do, and they do because one of the underlying purposes of markets is to fulfill unmet needs. We don’t need government or deep-thinking policy types to fix what is not a problem. The free markets already are as evidenced by the higher pay that engineers and other technical types can command in the marketplace.

Assuming the higher pay doesn’t cause more individuals to migrate toward STEM disciplines, that will merely serve as a signal for companies to apportion even more in the way of funds to the hiring of those who do. If market forces can turn million dollar computers into commodities that can be had for a few hundred, it’s very apparent that they can solve any presumed dearth of technical laborers. Important here is that innovations divined by the very engineers seen as too short in supply are rapidly negating the need for local talent as is.

Indeed, while Lockheed Martin’s Hill says “we’ll lose” if we don’t produce more STEM grads, companies like oDesk are rendering this imagined shortfall irrelevant. That’s the case because oDesk matches businesses around the world with engineers and computer programmers from around the world.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: employment; engineer; engineers; jobs; obamalies; shortage; stem
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To: SeekAndFind
It's pretty simple. If you want more scientists, engineers, programmers and mathematicians, then pay them what you're paying lawyers; and at the same time start subsidizing the degrees, instead of doing what colleges currently are doing by charging an extra $1,000 or more per year for tuition in technical disciplines.

CEO's of tech companies are making a factor of a thousand times as much money as their engineers, researchers and technical designers. Does a board of directors really think the company is better off with one Wall Street guy than a thousand engineers?

The push for H1B visas is about nothing more or less than creating millions of new cubicle slaves, both foreign [because they can't go anywhere else] and domestic [because if they squawk, they'll be replaced by cut-rate third-worlders.] H1B is a lose-lose proposition for everyone but the fattest of the fat cats.

21 posted on 09/15/2014 4:08:57 PM PDT by FredZarguna (His first name is 'Unarmed,' and his given middle name is 'Teenager.')
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To: John Robinson

I can’t even get that!


22 posted on 09/15/2014 4:11:03 PM PDT by mylife
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To: mylife
"RF engineers "

Art + Science + Math

23 posted on 09/15/2014 4:13:38 PM PDT by Paladin2
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To: Paladin2

PFM

Pure ****ing Magic LOL


24 posted on 09/15/2014 4:16:40 PM PDT by mylife
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To: John Robinson

Third world wages and don’t forget the employers massive tax savings when using foreigners. The tax savings are what is keeping businesses in the democrap camp. Our own government is the worst offender. I go to the VA clinic once a year, lucky to get a specialist made in America.
This is just crony capitalism.


25 posted on 09/15/2014 4:20:43 PM PDT by momincombatboots (Back to West by G-d Virginia.)
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To: Paladin2

Hi. Speak for yourself.


26 posted on 09/15/2014 4:21:52 PM PDT by loungitude (The truth hurts.)
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To: Perdogg

May I ask? What is a power engineer? I am trying to help my son find a good career.. I told him mechanic or electrician.


27 posted on 09/15/2014 4:22:59 PM PDT by momincombatboots (Back to West by G-d Virginia.)
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To: FredZarguna

Amen !


28 posted on 09/15/2014 4:25:31 PM PDT by khelus
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To: khelus

I worked in an engineering environment for years where there were so many “bean counters” you could not get 10C ink pen from the company.

Jeez you gotta go beg Digi Key for parts for prototypes.

Sure miss all that now...


29 posted on 09/15/2014 4:31:34 PM PDT by mylife
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To: momincombatboots

Power engineering is the field within electrical engineering that deals with power distribution. These days EE are turning out a lot of computer engineers yet the old power crowd is dying out.


30 posted on 09/15/2014 4:32:43 PM PDT by Perdogg (I'm on a no Carb diet- NO Christie Ayotte Romney or Bush)
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To: FredZarguna
H1B is a lose-lose proposition for everyone but the fattest of the fat cats.

bump

31 posted on 09/15/2014 4:56:14 PM PDT by VRW Conspirator (The next DNC convention will be spoken in Spanish; Press 1 for English)
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To: All

For all you Engineering types...

The Hot/Crazy Matrix...

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152167491547624&fref=nf


32 posted on 09/15/2014 4:57:47 PM PDT by mylife
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To: momincombatboots
May I ask? What is a power engineer? I am trying to help my son find a good career.. I told him mechanic or electrician.

Utility power. Your computer is plugged in to that power. Mechanical, Electrical and yes, Civil Engineers. It is not glamorous, but always in demand. You, I and everyone else wants the lights (and our computers) to stay on.

33 posted on 09/15/2014 4:59:52 PM PDT by VRW Conspirator (The next DNC convention will be spoken in Spanish; Press 1 for English)
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To: mylife

RE: I saw an east technicians job the other week.
It was $15 hour and they wanted a BEE.

Chances are they already have someone in mind for that job and are ready to hire him. And that someone is more likely from India or China or the Philippines where $15/hour is a lot of money back home.

They are simply advertising this to meet DOL requirements. Don;t bother applying if you’re a citizen. You won;t get hired.


34 posted on 09/15/2014 5:07:48 PM PDT by SeekAndFind (If at first you don't succeed, put it out for beta test.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Hell no I did not apply!
What a farking joke!

It was on Indeed.com


35 posted on 09/15/2014 5:10:35 PM PDT by mylife
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To: mylife

Totally FReepin’ bump.


36 posted on 09/15/2014 5:14:02 PM PDT by VRW Conspirator (The next DNC convention will be spoken in Spanish; Press 1 for English)
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To: VRW Conspirator
☺ I larfed my FReepin head off!
37 posted on 09/15/2014 5:16:32 PM PDT by mylife
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To: mylife

I shared that with the structural P.E. in my office about a month back... he liked it so much he screencaptured the final chart and printed a permanent copy to hang on his wall.


38 posted on 09/15/2014 5:20:53 PM PDT by Rodamala
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To: mylife
I find a shortage of engineering jobs.

I see jobs listed for a year or more (at Halliburton and others) yet they never call me in for an interview. Then there are the companies that want to pay under $30k a year for degreed experienced professionals.

39 posted on 09/15/2014 5:22:34 PM PDT by a fool in paradise (Hey Obama: If Islamic State is not Islamic, then why did you give Osama Bin Laden a muslim funeral?)
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To: Rodamala
☺ Only engineers could truly larf at it.
40 posted on 09/15/2014 5:23:12 PM PDT by mylife
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