THE DOTS U nemployment is at a 30-year low and demand for employees with technical skills is escalating.
Employers worry that the pool of qualified workers is drying up.
One projection of near-term worker needs by Richard Judy of the Hudson Institute suggests that 60 percent of future jobs will require training that only 20 percent of present workers possess. Indeed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fastest growing occupations through 2008 are projected to be in technology and information management fields. At the same time, the number of students graduating college with a degree in computer programming dropped from 50,000 in 1986 to 35,000 in 1995. The fear is that education systems, unable to keep up with demand now, will become even more overextended in the future, and the shortage of skilled workers will escalate, forcing employers to increase training costs and compensation packages to attract skilled employees or look overseas for qualified workers. Recent trends in enrollments and completions in higher education indicate that more and more students are seeking higher levels of education and more skills than ever before.