Replies

Thanks for the links

Labor Shortage is a supply & demand concept. If the demand for a certain skill at max rate exceeds the supply, that is definitively a shortage. To argue that domestic skills at a higher rate is not a justified factor when staffing for certain market offerings, is to say that non-invested parties have the authority to determine how a private operation should structure its employment.

I’m not making the case for sustaining foreign labor at the expense of the domestic good, but I’m comfortable pointing out the shortage of skilled labor in the IT sector since the late 90s.

This debate reminds me of how Japan gave US auto makers a well-deserved kick in the ass. Not to blame the poorly educated young adults entertaining the IT workforce, but the foreign IT pool certainly gave the domestic businesses and educators something to think about.

In recent years, things have certainly improved on the domestic IT resource front. I attribute the growth to the attraction of social media and smart devices — tech that fostered an independent, self-motivating interest with today’s youth. The educators were typically 10 years behind.