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InternetWeek
March 22, 1999
Talent shortage:
Is There An Age Conspiracy?
I recently hit the midpoint between birthdays, so I'm now closer to 43 than 42. While that
shouldn't mean anything to you, let me generalize that out to all people about my age:
Being 42 (or almost 43) means a lot of things. College graduates are generally half our
age-or less. Measured in traditional terms, about half of our work life is behind us. By
actuarial charts, more than half of our total life is behind us. And in today's world of
technology-driven business and the emergence of the new digital economy, it also means
we're working closely with-and, in a growing number of cases, working for-people who are
10, 15, or even 20 years younger than we are.
Should this matter? No, it shouldn't. Does it matter? Of course it does. And imagine
someone in his or her 50s-it probably matters a lot more. Flip it around to the
perspective of the highly talented young whizzes in their early 20s, who unfortunately
might be asking themselves questions like these: What can I hope to learn from people who
grew up with mainframes? Without the Web? In a world where Java was just a little island
somewhere between Australia and India? We can only hope these young professionals have the
patience, insight, and depth to understand that there was indeed life before the
Internet-as well as that experience, talent, drive, and value are precious assets in these
dizzying times, and that those assets are not bounded by age.
These musings were inspired by a handful of E-mail discussions I've had recently with
readers whose perspective on the Age Thing is decidedly one-sided: They believe there's a
widespread and deep-seated bias against IT workers over 40 (MY people!). When I first read
their letters, I admit that I wondered which conspiracy-theory convention they'd just
attended; after rereading them, I'm still not sure exactly how much these letters reflect
a broad reality, as opposed to just the experiences of these individuals. Making the
matter more complex is the overwhelming evidence I see to the contrary, and upon which
InformationWeek has reported regularly: hundreds of thousands of job openings for IT
workers of all levels, in all industries, in all parts of the country. Some examples:
* March 1, 1999 (p. 80): An InformationWeek survey of 1,495 IT professionals reveals that
41% say there are job openings at their companies. Among respondents whose companies have
revenue of more than $750 million, the figure is 60%.
* Feb. 15, 1999 (p. 61): "The demand for IT skills continues to soar as more
businesses look at technology as a competitive enabler." This article describes how a
rapidly growing number of talent-strapped companies are teaming with universities to
produce more candidates.
* Jan. 4, 1999 (p.74): "Talent Hunt Gets Hotter-Companies strive to find technology
workers as demand continues to outrun supply." In the article, we note that Federal
Express wants to add 500 IT employees to its existing team of 4,500. We also cite an
InformationWeek Research survey of 300 IT executives in which 37% say the IT people
shortage is "very serious" and 51% say it's "somewhat serious."
My questions as I reread the letters from those readers who claim there is ruthless
discrimination against "older" IT workers are these: Why would companies
deliberately overlook such a talent pool? Is it, as these readers claim, about hacking at
salaries? And is there any truth to these suspicions? Here's what some of those readers
have said: "I am sick of hearing all these FALSE ASSERTIONS about there being a
people shortage-it's just not true!!! ... I think 20 years in the IT field should be
enough experience. ... Could it be that no one wants to hire a 45-year-old person?"
From another: "This entire field is so overloaded, so overheated, there are so many
people out there that it's beyond comprehension. ... You want the facts? Come and talk to
me! And I'll turn you on to more people in this field getting BURIED UNDER THE GLUT, THE
MOUNTAIN, THE TANKERLOADS OF IT PEOPLE LOOKING FOR WORK."
And another: "For years, we've faced firings of hundreds of thousands of IT people by
companies, along with the importing of hundreds of thousands of foreigners to fill IT
jobs. 'Waiting' for the students to graduate is just a stall tactic. ... The IT industry,
immigration attorneys, and the ITAA want to keep it so Americans can be fired while they
import hundreds of thousands of foreigners to fill their jobs."
I don't really believe in conspiracies, particularly on the massive scale these readers
are describing. And clearly, at least some of them have nasty axes to grind. On the flip
side, though, could there be some conspiratorial fire under this smoke? I'd love to hear
from IT managers and executives who've had success in tapping into this pool of 40- and
50-somethings-let us know at the address below.
Bob Evans
Editor-in-Chief
bevans@cmp.com
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