The shortage of IT professionals in the global job market has been observed since mid-1990s and is expected to continue for another decade, until 2010. The forecast for the year 2000 estimates that over 800,000 vacancies for IT positions will go unfilled. The reason for the deficit of qualified IT people is the rapid growth of demand for software and related products, and therefore increase in IT vacancies, that is unmatched by supply. New IT workers come out of educational institutions, change their profile from a different field to IT, or are imported from abroad on work visas.
Employee retention is a major issue in the volatile aggressive market.
IT workers tend not to develop loyalty to the employer and can be kept on the job only by incentives like money, interesting work with bright people, sense of personal fulfillment, and additional benefits such as free home computers, Internet access etc. Successful career development for IT people depends on possessing work-related skills more than on formal education, and experience, though important in determining the salary, is not crucial for getting a job. Skills and ability to learn fast is the key to success. The A. Gary Anderson School of Management - University of California, Riverside .