Shortfall of IT Workers Remains

June 14, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The tech bubble has burst, markets are volatile and fears of a recession abound, yet businesses are still struggling to fill information technology (IT) positions, according to an annual survey.

The 2001 IT Staffing and Compensation Guide compiled by META Group, and based interviews with over 500 compensation and IT specialists, reports a shortfall of 600,000 workers, particularly those with IT skills in areas such as:

· networking,

· Web development,

· database management,

· supply chain collaboration,

· Java,

· business-to-business integration, and

· commerce chain management.

The gap represents a modest degree of staffing relief for employers, who are enduring a five-year IT worker shortage that peaked at nearly one million in 2000.

As demand outpaces supply, compensation for technology workers over their non-IT counterparts has increased significantly. On the subject of remuneration, the survey found that

· Almost 70% of respondents pay IT employees 10% to 20% more than their other workers, compared with only 42% of companies in last year’s survey.

· Three-fifths of the sample offer bonuses to IT employees, compared to 50% last year.

In addition, the report found a reduced concern over retention. Some 60% of respondents still view it as a serious issue, compared to 77% in 2000, while 40% no longer see it as their chief concern, as opposed to 24% in 2000.

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