They say that temporary workers give them the flexibility to use this source of labor only when necessary and the access to skills that they may otherwise have trouble finding or affording in a permanent employee. As Figure 1 shows, IDC estimates there were 722,158 unfilled IT jobs in the US in 1999 and there will be 846,901 by 2002. The skills shortage has forced companies to look in new places for employees and has created a seller's job market that has put workers in the driver's seat. International Data Corp. estimates that the shortage of IT workers in the US will increase steadily, at least through 2002. The number of cumulative unfilled positions includes an estimated IT worker shortage of 345,000 at the beginning of 1999.
Observers say the shortage of workers is a critical factor driving today's IT employment trends.
Meanwhile, in some fields such as networking, there have been rapid changes in technology, leaving fewer people with new skills. Companies thus must consider nontraditional options when looking for workers with the necessary expertise. The twenty-first century job market will be more flexible and freewheeling, and people will have to get used to that. Because of the technical skills necessary to perform many IT jobs, companies have traditionally required many IT workers to have college degrees. Now, however, companies are experiencing considerable difficulty finding qualified workers, so college degrees are becoming a lower priority for employers in many cases.