No relief in sight for IT worker shortage. The situation will continue to become more critical. Educators are working hard to get kids into technical fields.
Most companies use technical people, so there is no industry that is unaffected.
The ones hurting the most are large firms like ConAgra and First Data Resources, which have their own IT departments. Aughenbaugh recently attended a seminar sponsored by the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce that focused on foreign workers who have HIB visa status, which would allow them to come to the United States and work for three years. After that the number will gradually decrease to 65,000, which it has been until now. The number was increased because the Y2K issue has created a need for IT professionals to work on computer upgrades. The legislators expect the need for IT people to drop after that is taken care of.