BC's tech sector needs thousands of new tech workers, pronto (Province). A feature article notes that 10,000 new jobs need to be filled this year, on top of the 75,000 already employed across all sectors of the industry. These are good jobs with above-average pay, stimulating and creative work environments and exciting opportunities for career progression. And you don't even necessarily need a background in tech -- university graduates and people looking to shift careers just need a willingness to learn, enthusiasm for technology and some transferrable skills.
So it seems odd that tech companies may actually have trouble filling all those new jobs. While the significant need for new workers bodes well for the tech industry overall, a spokesperson for the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of B.C. quoted in the same article seems to suggest that people may still be very wary of entering the tech industry. Are vestigial memories of the dot-com bubble bursting at the turn of the century really still giving so many people the willies in 2008?
The problem is perhaps one of unreal expectations. The early days of the Internet were indeed filled with far too many technology enthusiasts with audaciously big ideas and multi-million dollar budgets to match -- but without anything close to the technology needed to back it up. When investors recognized the scale of the disconnect between available technology and their business plans, they stampeded for the exits. It was a bad scene for everyone.
But the tech industry has matured since the bad old days of irrational exuberance -- hasn't it? Sure, tech companies have ambitious plans, but we also have better Internet technology, bandwidth and computing power to actually implement business plans. It's too bad that memories of the Information Age's difficult birth may still be turning people away from an industry that is actually doing quite well at the moment.
Will BC's tech industry be able to find all the workers it needs? If the industry as a whole can't achieve its ambitious targets this time around, it will have far more to do with a lack of human resources than technology.
[...] For more on this issue, check out my post on Techvibes, Who Wants an Interesting, Well-Paid Job in IT? Anyone? Hello? [...]
Which are the best Vancouver I.T. placement agencies?
Vancouver is just too small... there are few niche positions, and that gives the employers a lot of clout when they decide to set salaries and job descriptions. Both my husband (a front end developer specializing in accessibility) and I (learning and development manager in training and elearning) moved to the UK from Vancouver where, within a month of arrival, we both had great positions at very good rates.
We also found a lot of respect for our experience and abilities, as well, rather than having recruiters just run through tick lists of qualifications that might or might not be relevant.
Perhaps this lack of qualified people you speak of will sort things out a bit? We'll see...
The biggest detractor to new graduates working in IT is work hours. Crazy 60+ hour work weeks are still relatively common in IT, and it's a big turnoff. Unless overtime pay is reconstituted, and work-life balance restored, like most other industries, tech companies will have trouble attracting talent.
The lack of acknowledgment of development, QA, and hosting as professional designations (like accounts and lawyers) don't help either. It takes a lot of training / experience to be good at any of those areas and lack of recognition does not help.
It'll sort itself out when these issues are addressed.
Hi all, interesting thread. As a different kind of recruiter and firm, we see things from a different perspective. It is true that expectations are one of the reasons people (the supply side) are not swarming to work in tech. The other is that people do have the perception (wrongly) that tech = geeks jobs. While I am a geek myself, those of us in tech understand that there are plenty of other non-tech jobs in tech companies. I am always fighting this battle with people who ask me what our firm does...when I say we staff all positions for tech companies, they immediately say "Oh, I am not a programmer", then I smile my all knowing smile and say well, "did you know there are other roles in a tech company?" If I happen to be in a grumpy mood (which isn't often), I will ask, so does a tech company not need financial people, customer service, sales, marketing, QA, etc?"
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The other piece of the puzzle to the shortage is the employer (demand side). Employers are generally still wanting everything when they hire. The trade-offs are not considered and as a result, unfilled positions remain open.
Thoughts?
