Tech Layoffs Fading, But No Hiring Boom

Investor's Business Daily ^ | October 20, 2003 | Jed Graham

[babyface00]

This may just be wishful thinking on my end, but I believe something like 50% of Microsoft's Exchange customers are still on 5.5. IMHO, the biggest reason most don't move to Exchange 2000+ is Active Directory (and cost), which presumes the customers are on NT.

When MS terminates support for either Exchange 5.5 or Windows NT, I believe you'll see a boom in IT.

Whether that boom is customers upgrading to MS products, or former MS customers migrating to Linux solutions is the big question.

All IMHO, of course.

[RiflemanSharpe]

Where are the new jobs going, India and or China?

[WackyKat]

As some old-line manufacturing industries move overseas, the U.S. will need to provide high-skill, high-tech jobs to replace them.

Too bad high-tech is moving overseas also.

[Jack Wilson]

Message to young Americans: Don't bother learning any occupation that is done sitting in front of a computer.

[clamper1797]

I'll believe it when I get an offer in high tech ... out 11 weks and counting

[Afronaut]

Out 40 weeks

[Afronaut]

"Tech manufacturing payrolls fell 3,800 in September, the 32nd straight monthly fall, the Labor Department said. That brought the cumulative decline to 484,000, or 26%. But jobs cuts have shrunk to under 5,000 the past two months, giving some reason for optimism."

[harpseal]

Where are the new jobs going, India and or China?

India is where many IT jobs are goingf right now but China has as part of its national military strategy increasing the skills of its IT workers so many are going there.

[AGreatPer]

Thanks JW for your #5. I have a kid looking at colleges for next year and will tell him.

He did say the other day, "Maybe I should be an electrician or plumber."

[Jack Wilson]

Maybe I should be an electrician or plumber."

For some reason, the 'blue-collar' trades are scoffed at by many. Big mistake.

[harpseal]

Ping

On or off let me know

[oceanview]

Its not "scoffing". But try and understand that my friend with a PhD in engineering doesn't want his kid to be a plumber, nothing against plumbers, but try and understand. That's why tech professionals are piling their college aged kids into law schools.

[Jack Wilson]

I read somewhere, but I can't find the article, a good argument that what our kids need to be trained in for the future is entrepreneurism (phew!)...

[clamper1797]

But jobs cuts have shrunk to under 5,000 the past two months, giving some reason for optimism."

I'm afraid that the job cuts have shrunk ... because they are running out of jobs to cut. That's very much like the unemployment figure which is dropping ... because people are

1. running out of unemployment benefits and are no longer counted
2. are severly unemployed ... like the PhDEE who is flipping bugers or greeting customers at (Great)Wall mart

[clamper1797]

Correction ..

are severly unemployed = severely UNDERemployed

[oceanview]

that would be fine, but access to capital is the key to business formation (more then just self employment). and for "regular" people, its hard to get.

[pbear8]

A friend here in San Fran just got an offer from a start up which already has big clients (you'd recognize the names) for $95,000. Things may be looking up. Hope both of you get similar offers soon.

[oceanview]

what does he do, what are his skills? don't tell me, he's a specialist in using offshore labor for US IT projects?

[pbear8]

He explained it all to us at coffee after church yesterday. I still don't know exactly what it is that he does. But I do know that internet security is the company's basis and that they are currently expanding. They worked with him a few years ago and sought him out for this position. Early next year they want to bump him up to supervisor and hire two guys to work with him.