Posted on 11/13/2002 10:28:24 AM PST by dark_lord
Yet readers of the articles proclaiming a shortage would be perplexed if they also knew that Microsoft only hires 2% of its applicants for software positions, and that this rate is typical in the industry. Software employers, large or small, across the nation, concede that they receive huge numbers of re'sume's but reject most of them without even an interview. One does not have to be a ``techie'' to see the contradiction here. A 2% hiring rate might be unremarkable in other fields, but not in one in which there is supposed to be a ``desperate'' labor shortage. If employers were that desperate, they would certainly not be hiring just a minuscule fraction of their job applicants.
Here is a table showing the actual number of job applicants hired for a variety of companies:
American Management Systems | 2% |
Broderbund Software | 1% |
Cisco | 5% |
|
|
Cohesive | 2% |
Datascan | 5% |
Deltanet | 4% |
ECbridges | 2% |
Flashpoint Technology | 2 to 5% |
R.D. Raab | 1% |
|
|
H.L. Yoh | 4% |
Inktomi | less than 5% |
Microsoft | 2% |
Net Perceptions | 2% |
New England firm | 1% |
Qualcomm | 4.5% |
|
|
Radiant Systems | under 1% |
Red Hat Linux | under 1% |
Tangis | under 1% |
In other words, there is no shortage of ``bodies,'' i.e. there is no shortage of experienced computer programmers. The problem is that employers are not willing to hire them. Employers are only willing to hire from three narrow categories of programmers:
* New or recent (within a few years of graduation) college graduates, who have cheaper salaries. Note, though, that even among new computer science graduates, fewer than half are hired as programmers.
* Foreign nationals on work visas, who have cheaper salaries.
* A relatively small number of experiencedprogrammers who have background in certain highly-specialized software technologies.
Dr. Matloff says: "Hiring managers have often complained to me that their firm's Human Resources Dept. screens out resume's of applicants who the managers feel qualified. HR apparently decides to screen out the applicants who are too expensive or too old - and then complains that there is a ``shortage'' of applicants...There does seem to be coordination among the HR departments of the various firms. The HR departments of the major firms in Silicon Valley hold monthly meetings, at which the firms exchange information with each other on policy, salaries and so on. (Personal communication from Paul Donnelly, IEEE-USA, June 30, 2000.)...All the firms hire an extremely low percentage of their programming applicants, due to the fact that all the firms overstate job requirements...Almost all firms aim for applicants having three to seven years (or two to eight) of experience."
He says: "It seems safe to say that experience may not be the most valued commodity, according to a survey of 200 IT managers nationwide conducted by InformationWeek Research in May. Though age wasn't specified in the question, only 2% of the managers said they would most likely hire a worker with 10 or more years' experience. Almost half-46%-preferred to hire a worker with four to 10 years' experience, while 26% said they would hire a worker with less than three years' experience, and another 26% wanted an entry-level worker or recent college graduate."
Ah. That attitude. I know it's old fashioned, but if I help the company prosper, then I prosper. If I save them money in one place, there is more to pay me in the other. Simple, really. And helping my company (which I am a stockholder in, by the way) trash someone else in the industry using competitive technological means can be downright fun, you know?
Actually, putting things on an equal footing would be enough. A business can borrow money, invest it in a venture with an unpredictable chance of success and later discharge loans in a bankruptcy.
On the other hand, we expect a young person to make a prediction as to what skills will be in demand four years later, and if he gets it wrong (why should he get it right when your average CEO has a hard time forecasting one quarter ahead) he will be stuck with student loans.
It should be possible to discharge student loans in a bankruptcy. It would be fair and it would also provide an incentive for politicians to keep a lid on H1Bs (the government would actually start paying for its mistakes, what a novel idea!)
Hmm, to tell the truth, Polish government is worse. Recently it "privatised" a profitable strategic energy company STOEN by selling it cheaply to the German company which is GOVERNMENT owned (by German gvt).
Microsoft is flooded with H1-Bs. Microsoft is building major facilities in India and China. Microsoft is ONE reason why many Americans are out of work.
To take it a step furthur. If you noticed in the articles I posted concerning Microsoft, while Gates is telling Indians that they are the BEST "class" in software in the world (I guess he really doesn't think much of Americans does he), and telling them, "India is the leader by far but it should track the progress China is making", he's building a 750 million dollar facility in China. Now that's what I call slick.
Basically, Gates gives not one fleeting whim as to the welfare of ANY nation, he simply wants them all to us MS operating systems, development tools, and related software.
He cares not if those countries lose or gain, he just wants them to use his product. His only motivation is PURE greed. How much richer can Bill Gates get I wonder? Is it that he wants to buy the Earth?
we americans are so fortunate gates is american.
Yeah, if he was Indian he might want to build facilities in AMERICA.
We should encourage development of people like him. Intel is ameican also. and they say americans can't do this stuff.
Yep, Intel is really pro-American. That's why they're sending sensitive technology to CHINA, never mind the fact that they are migrating much of their production and R&D work to there.
For a example of what I mean, check the link below;
You'll notice the following projects listed.
Those techologies could VERY easily be used to develop intelligence gathering equipment similar to the NSA. Have you ever heard of Sun Tzu? You may want to look into the following thread..
China said to approach NATO for dialogue
Out of pure stupidty and greed, we have played right into the hands of those who wish to destroy us..
China More a Threat to Taiwan and US Than We Are Being Told
New Russian Missiles Aid China, Iran -- May Spark New Arms Race
The people of india deserve an equal chance to compete as we do.
Then perhaps they should allow us to flood their development centers with Americans...
Here is your original "egotistical" comments:
It all comes down to work ethic, skill and self-initiative in the end. If you have what the market is buying, you'll be selling. If you want to be a "victim", then it's a choice you made -- not a role someone made you take.
Well I not only "banged keys", but I did research and design work. I wrote design docs and attended design meetings. I utilized various lab equipment to test what I had designed and implemented.
And I never turn down a combat assignment.
Right now I haven't had an interview in over a year after being out of work since 2001. I've submitted my resume to every single position I've seen that asks for ANY type of experience that I have, and that includes "combat assignments". The number of agencies that I've been in touch with is high, and the number of resumes I've sent out is in the hundreds.
So don't tell ME that there isn't a problem here. I've been gainfully employed for ALL of my adult life, and have never had this sort of problem before. If you had read Dr. Matloff's report, you'd know that this is not an isolated case, but instead is a rather common phenomenon these days.
Nothing yet.
I finally got a job ... at a company that does NOT hire H1B's.
Excellent! There aren't too many of those companies around these days. Good luck and congratulations.
Education is not the issue here. There are many well educated people who can not find jobs. Your point that we now need the government to fund college falls perfectly into the falsehood that there are "not" enough available educated American workers. It is all a bunch of lies.
However, I do think it would be an excellent idea if the government became responsible for student loans for a person who is not able to find a job in this country because of the governments policy of giving our jobs to foreigners.
It would be nice to get back to work.
BTW ... would you like my list of recruiters?
Sure, send me an email. Thanks..
6 years is not a limited duration, and most get green cards after 6 years and become part of the large pool of available workers in America.
H1 numbers have been down ever since the economy headed south and there has been less demand for staff.
The numbers are high if you place them up against the number of jobs that are available and the number of workers that are unemployed. If the number was zero I would agree with you.
H1B folks are now free to change jobs easily, which removes the motivation of hiring H1B's as cheap indentured workers.
The "new" law is obviously not as well understood and requires legal advise (as stated in your link) before an H-1B should or could make a move. Beside the issue here is numbers, there are simply more available workers than jobs. So why do we need an H-1B program at all?
I don't think programmers relocate to the US just so they can get paid below average wages.
Compared to India and China the wages are very high.
4. The cost and delay in processing H1 applications is never taken into consideration in these articles....
Large companies get bulk Visa applications approved and lay-off Americans and hire H-1Bs at will.
Are you an immigration attorney? Sounds like you have a vested interest in this program.
I just read the following article and it is truly insightful. I had a strong intuitive feeling that Microsoft and Bill Gates was at the root of the H-1B program. The following article that was sent out today in the ZaZona news letter clearly supports my theory.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/comp/articleshow?artid=28160072
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