"If left uncontested, the IT skills gap will create gaps in our economic performance, gaps in our productivity, and gaps in our ability to compete globally. It is in everyone's interest to close those gaps as quickly as possible," said Stéphane Boisvert, President, Bell Enterprise Group and official spokesperson for the coalition.
The economic impact of an IT labour shortage has been outlined in a new Conference Board of Canada study commissioned by Bell Canada. The report, entitled "Securing our Future," includes startling revelations about the economic cost of not filling the estimated 90,000 IT positions set to open across Canada over the next five years.
"The repercussions to the Canadian economy will be severe if those positions go unfilled," said Dr. Michael Bloom, Vice President, Organizational Effectiveness and Learning for the Conference Board of Canada. "Based on an average annual contribution of $120,000 per IT worker, the economic impact will be more than $10 billion."
...
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2008/22/c3184.html
Note: http://www.newswire.ca/...
Canadian Coalition Led By Bell To Tackle IT Labour Shortage Crisis
Posted on Tuesday, January 22 at 17:37 by N SayContributed By
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I visited the Conference Board of Canada site to have a look at the report and was unpleasantly suprised when I read their headlines:<br />
<br />
<strong>Globalization Produces More Conciliatory Industrial Relations in 2008</strong><br />
Read the press release and you will see that "Globalization is dampening militancy in Canadian industrial relations..." Globalization a.k.a. fear of job loss. As we have all read lately, it is offshoring that is partially resposible for the economic meltdown in the US.<br />
<br />
Here's another pithy headline:<br />
<br />
<strong>U.S. Economy to Skirt a Recession in 2008</strong><br />
"Continued growth in exports and investment spending will keep the U.S. economy out of a recession, according to the Conference Board’s U.S. Outlook – Winter 2008."<br />
<br />
The CBOC really have themselves some powerful crystal ball there!<br />
<br />
OK, let's move on to the IT labour shortage crisis. Unortunately, there isn't a news release about this study at the CBOC site. I searched for it but could not find any one sigle reference/link/mention of the study warning of an impending CRISIS!<br />
<br />
What I did find was a copy of an op-ed piece by Glen Hodgson<br />
of The National Post, dated November 5, 2007 (I hope they haven't violated coyright). Mr. Hodgson recommends the following to address the coming general labour shortage:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>"The first option is to rethink the workforce and boost the rate of labour force growth. A more aggressive and integrated immigration policy, enhanced efforts to retain older workers, expanded use of aboriginal workers and higher participation rates for women would all be part of an effort to boost labour force growth."</blockquote><br />
<br />
I have my own crystal ball and I predict that we will not hear Canadian business leaders calling as loudly for 'expanded use of aboriginal workers' as they will be calling for increased limits on immigration quotas that bring in foreign workers that artificially depress wages.<br />
<br />
The other recommendation to note is this: <br />
<br />
<blockquote>"... the third basic option is to restructure our economy, and individual firms, through greater reliance on off-shore outsourcing and through more investment abroad. American business has moved significant amounts of standardized, labour-intensive manufacturing production offshore over the past decade, but Canadian firms have not followed suit to the same degree."</blockquote><br />
<br />
Exactly my thought! Follow the U.S down that disastrous road. But read it carefully - America has moved labour-intensive manufacturing production offshore - these aren't IT jobs! They are high-wage manufacturing jobs. Sure, they will increase profits and share price but they destroy the Canadian economy by freeing all those workers to be 'used' as restaurant wait staff and Wal-Mart greeters at half their former salaries and zero benefits. So, no thanks, Mr. Hodgson! No thanks, CBOC, your solution just isn't good for Canadians!<br />
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As to the report. I doubt their numbers. My personal opinion, informed only by my experience (13 years as an IT consultant in Montreal, Boston, New York and Boca Raton, tells me that this shortage is fictitious and only serves to support arguments for destructive offshoring and destructive increases to less well-paid foreign worker visa quotas.<br />
<br />
For an excellent review of the economic issue read:<br />
Farewell to Old Economic Nostrums<br />
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS<br />
<a href="http://counterpunch.org/roberts01222008.html">http://counterpunch.org/roberts01222008.html</a>