IT workers feel effects of the long downturn
jobcenter.dallasnews.com
When we are having the worst job market in modern times for tech professionals, why are employers allowed to bring in huge numbers of foreigners to take these jobs? These people are totally beholdin to their employers, they work in almost slave status for up to 6 years, after which many return to their native lands with valuable U.S. experience, and compete with U.S. techs at a small fraction of their wage. This giveaway of American technology fuels China's ascent as a great technological power, and the countless WMD programs around the globe.
Doc
Trade journal survey indicates a slim majority are satisfied with their current positions
By VICTOR GODINEZ / The Dallas Morning News
Information technology workers are overworked, nervous about potential layoffs and increasingly dissatisfied with their jobs, industry experts say.
Wanda Brice, president and chief executive officer at Dallas-based placement firm Computer Directions Inc. ( www.computerdirections.com), said that almost every IT worker has been affected by the slump in the technology industry.
"People who have been able to hold on to a job or find a job have either taken a cut in salary or benefits," she said.
"If they have remained employed as a full-time employee, they have watched colleagues leave and get cut, and that's very demoralizing."
That sense of frustration was reflected in a survey released late last month by trade journal Computerworld ( www.computerworld.com).
In the magazine's annual job satisfaction survey conducted in August, a slim majority - 53 percent - still classified themselves as either "very" or "somewhat satisfied" with their jobs. But 55 percent said their level of satisfaction has fallen since last year.
"What we were calling the cool stoicism of last year's survey had pretty much worn away by this survey," said Maryfran Johnson, vice president and editor in chief at Computerworld. "We were pretty surprised at the level of anger and disenfranchisement out there."
While complaints about bulging workloads and budget cuts were widespread, Ms. Johnson said those weren't the biggest problems.
"What causes us more concern are some of the comments on disappointment and worry on the future of the IT profession, and a lot of that comes from offshore outsourcing," she said. "That is a deeper, underlying concern this year, I think it's fair to say."
Many tech professionals think that offshore workers are permanently occupying jobs traditionally held by Americans, she said.
When asked their top five expectations for the job market, most survey respondents said they expect more jobs will be outsourced.
Ms. Brice said that while it's easy to say the economy is recovering, she doesn't expect much growth in demand for skilled technology workers.
"The jobs we are going to regain are service-related jobs, not professional jobs like IT professionals," she said.
When those jobs do turn up, many of them will go overseas or to foreign workers brought to the United States under the H-1B or L-1 visa programs, she said.
So even once the economy is back on track, most tech workers will still face a relatively barren job market, Ms. Brice said.
Employers aren't deliberately trying to hurt American tech workers, she said.
"They're looking at their bottom line from quarter to quarter, and they're happy they're saving the money," she said.
But the result is demoralized workers who are concerned that they'll have fewer opportunities for advancement in the future, she said.
Ms. Johnson said there are many things employers can do to improve workers' job satisfaction that don't require expensive bonuses or raises, but many companies are still too busy cutting costs to worry about whether their workers are happy.
"I don't think employers are oblivious at all," she said. "But this is probably a problem that is lower down on their lists to worry about."
E-mail vgodinez@dallasnews.com |
