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Tech Sector Slow To Hire
Iftekhar25 writes "The NY Times is running an article about soaring unemployment rates for IT in the US (6 percent) despite a tech sector that is thirsting for engineering talent. Quoting: 'The chief hurdles to more robust technology hiring appear to be increasing automation and the addition of highly skilled labor overseas. The result is a mismatch of skill levels here at home: not enough workers with the cutting-edge skills coveted by tech firms, and too many people with abilities that can be duplicated offshore at lower cost. That's a familiar situation to many out-of-work software engineers, whose skills start depreciating almost as soon as they are laid off, given the dynamism of the industry.'"
Go ahead guys.
I'm asking because .. I do, and let me tell you, it sucks. We've had open reqs for months now that we haven't been able to fill, and that's not due to lack of trying.
I recently read a comment from a (now) friend who was my manager years ago; "If I need a Sr. Engineer, I advertise for an Architect. If I need an engineer, I advertise for a senior".
I'm finding this to be completely true. I've interviewed people recently for Senior positions who can't pass the FizzBang test, never mind anything more complicated (and we don't start with fizzbang, it's usually a last resort during the interview), I'm not quite sure if their resumes are simply complete works of fiction or if someone has actually been paying them for some reason.
I almost am willing to theorize that the dot-bomb fallout isn't over, and that there are still many, many "engineers" and "developers" who have been incredibly over-employed for many years who now find themselves out of work. If I were looking for Jr. developers, some of these people *might* make the cut.