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Short of IT Workers At Home, Israeli Startups Recruit Elsewhere (reuters.com)

New submitter Alex Wilson shares a Reuters report: Driven by startups, Israel's technology industry is the fastest growing part of the economy. It accounts for 14 percent of economic output and 50 percent of exports. But a shortage of workers means its position at the cutting edge of global technology is at risk, with consequences for the economy and employment. When Alexey Chalimov founded software design firm Eastern Peak in Israel four years ago he knew he would not find the developers he needed at home. He went to Ukraine and hired 120 people to develop mobile apps and web platforms for international clients and smaller Israeli startups. "I worked for years in the Israeli market and I knew what the costs were in Israel and I knew there was a shortage of workers," he told Reuters.

The government's Innovation Authority forecasts a shortage of 10,000 engineers and programmers over the next decade in a market that employs 140,000. Israel has dropped six spots in three years to 17th in the World Economic Forum's ranking of the ease of finding skilled technology employees. In the meantime, many Israeli startups are looking abroad.

15 of 137 comments (clear)

  1. The Holy Land of IT... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 2

    Do they need miracle workers? ;)

    1. Re:The Holy Land of IT... by LifesABeach · · Score: 2

      I was thinking along the lines of what Billionaires are saying, "American Engineers are two stupid to work for us, unless its at 10 cents on the dollar." So lets apply that to the culture of Israel and we get what any inner bred redneck would say. Its amazing how an excuse fails when nationality is exchanged for culture.

  2. Shortage here, shortage there ... by pumapunku · · Score: 2

    .... I bet salary is skyrocketing, right? :-)

  3. Is there a shortage. Or just don't want to pay. by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Interesting

    For most tech jobs you can actually pull any person off the street and train them to do the job that is required (I apologize for hurting the feelings of Slashdot readers). However a professional job, requires professional pay. Many companies just don't want to deal with that. So they outsource to cheaper countries, where they pick up their guys off the street and train them to work for less in their counties.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  4. Am I the only one? by EvilSS · · Score: 2

    That missed the word "of" when first reading the headline?

    --
    I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
  5. Re:need more STEM grads by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    My degree is in mathematics. I spent a year unemployed out of school before finally getting a job as a low-level state government clerical worker.

    Captcha: derive

  6. Re:need more STEM grads by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The real thing is schools need to incorporate serious STEM based disciplines as part of the Liberal Art training, much how they normally push Liberal Arts into STEM based majors.

    I saw this problem in college. As a Computer Science Major I needed to take 200 level classes in Liberal Arts which are the same classes that Liberal Art Majors needed as well. However The Liberal Art Majors normally just need to take a 101 level course to meet their Science and Math requirements, and these 101 classes were often tailors for Non-STEM Majors, so they can pass the class without killing their GPA.

    As I see it Anyone who graduates from college should be able to understand basic Calculus, Be able to write a program that has nested loops, be able to wire a full adder using Not and And Gates, Understand the probability of getting a genetic trait...

    In short you should be taught on how to approach problems in both a technical way and the emotional and philosophical ways. We cant have people graduating from college who get scared at Math, just as much we cannot have engineers graduating who cannot write complete thoughts.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  7. "shortage" ... by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ... uh huh. Shortage of those who will work cheap, you mean.

  8. In Soviet Russia... by p4nther2004 · · Score: 2

    Trolls are pro-Trump....not against.

  9. Re:need more STEM grads by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 3, Insightful

    My degree is in mathematics. I spent a year unemployed out of school

    What were you expecting? Before you decided on that major, did you count the job ads for mathematicians?

    Math is a tool. Majoring in math rather than applications of math makes as much sense as studying hammers rather than learning carpentry.

  10. Israeli Immigration by DatbeDank · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In one of the most notoriously difficult countries to immigrate to for non-Jews, I find it deliciously ironic that they're having problems with a worker shortage. The question is, will they ease immigration requirements for non-Jews? I highly doubt it.

    1. Re:Israeli Immigration by DatbeDank · · Score: 2

      Hate to spoil your 2nd Amendment dreams there, but I can assure you that private ownership is quite tightly restricted. The vast bulk of those open-carry weapons that you see are held by active duty soldiers, and not private citizens. Of the private citizens who *can* carry, the majority live in areas that border upon Palestinian-controlled territories (such as yehudah and shomron).

      Considering that veterans of the IDF are allowed to own a handgun and that 75% of the country was compulsory conscripted at one point, it stands to reason that Israel is in fact a 2nd amendment paradise.

      Enjoy: http://jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/is...

      Veterans:
      1. Veterans of the Regular Army honorably discharged with the rank of non-commissioned officer, and veterans of the Reserve Army with the rank of regimental commander- may own 1 handgun
      2. Retired law enforcement officers with the rank of sergeant - may own 1 handgun
      3. Retired prison guards with the rank of squadron commander- may own 1 handgun

  11. Re:need more STEM grads by Pascoea · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...makes as much sense as studying hammers rather than learning carpentry.

    Hit the nail on the head with that comment.

  12. Re:need more STEM grads by orient · · Score: 2

    Developing and improving tools essential to developing technology. Saying that tool makers are not needed is a catastrophic short-sightedness. My calculus professor used to say that we discover theorems, simplify them for use with computers and give to the engineers to use them for whatever.

    --
    Laudele lor desigur m-ar mahni peste masura.
  13. Instead of H-1B by Hognoxious · · Score: 2

    Instead of bringing them in on an H-1B it'll be an Oy-1Vey.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."