The OTP report set the stage for the January conference. Problem-solving workshops and presentations for the exchange of information about successful programs for retraining and recruiting workers. A preliminary report of a collaborative study conducted by ITAA and a team of re-searchers from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Like the original ITAA study, this one focused on vacancies, but it also looked at a broader range of firms from user sectors as well as from the IT industry. A panel presentation of a surprisingly wide range of views on the issue, including some quite critical of ITAA and the Commerce Department.
People go hungry, freeze, stand in lines, and so on.
The signs of a worker shortage may be more subtle, of course, but even more importantly, the concept of shortage itself turns out to be rather fragile in a market economy. Prices go up. One problem, of course, is that labor markets are not like the markets for most commodities. We can't simply plant a larger crop of computer scientists for delivery in six months, when prices will be high, and store the excess in silos when prices fall. Delay times are very long, and signals are imperfectly transmitted and imperfectly heard, particularly when we consider that they are affecting the future career choices of youngsters.