http://www.computerworld.com/home/online9697.nsf/all/971201brief

ComputerWorld

(Careers Daily brief 12-01-97)

Staffing shortage imperils U.S. economy

As if IS managers didn't have enough staffing issues to worry about, they can now expect the shortage of qualified information systems professionals to slow the U.S. economy, not to mention their own projects.
That is the conclusion of a recent issue of IT Metrics Strategies (ITMS), published by Cutter Information Corp., which says the current IS staff shortage could have a major impact on the U.S. economy as a whole.

"The shortage is real, and its impact will dwarf techno-issues such as the Internet and E-commerce, which are the focus of media attention today," says ITMS Editor Howard Rubin. "Perhaps the biggest single issue is the potential impact of the IT workforce shortage on the economy."

The Information Technology Association of America has estimated the number of unfilled IS jobs at 190,000, and Rubin expects IS job openings to reach 350,000 by the end of 1998. Add year 2000 conversion projects to that, and the coming year should be quite a treat for IS hiring managers.