From...

April 16, 1999
Web posted at: 5:44 p.m. EDT (2144 GMT)

by Barb Cole-Gomolski

AUSTIN, Texas (IDG) -- The IT labor situation hasn't changed much during the past year, according to researchers gathered here for the annual Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) Workforce Convocation.

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Meta Group Inc. researcher Maria Schafer presented a report here that said through the end of this year, there will be 400,000 open information technology positions in U.S. companies. That figure is slightly higher than the 346,000 figure the ITAA came up with last year.

ITAA Executive Director Harris Miller said the group recently conducted a small poll of 57 of its members and that 80% of the respondents said the worker shortage problem is the same or more severe than last year. However, the same survey showed that 60% of companies believe that new training and recruitment programs are making a strong improvement in their ability to recruit qualified workers.

"What that tells us is that the problem may be flattening out slightly," Miller said.

He said the ITAA won't repeat its "Help Wanted" study this year, which yielded the 346,000 figure. Instead, it will undertake research to pinpoint what IT skills are most in demand and what specific jobs are hot.