COMMERCE DEPARTMENT REPORT COMMENTS ON NEED FOR H-1B WORKERS

A new report issued by the US Department of Commerce claims that a severe shortage of technology workers will only get worse in this country for the next seven years. But the report focused on focusing efforts on training US workers rather than relying on increasing visa availability. Commerce Secretary William Daley admitted that increasing the number of H-1B visas is one route to relieving the problem, but said this was not the best solution. But he refused to take a position on legislation to raise the number of H-1B visas.

Key findings of the report include:

• Some 1.4 million new workers will be required to meet the projected demand for core workers in the United States between 1996 and 2006.
• The projected demand will have a significant regional impact. California, Texas and Virginia are projected to have the largest number of core IT workers in 2006 and lead the country in the average annual number of core IT job openings between 1996 and 2006
• The computer and data processing services (CDPS) industry -- including many companies that focus on the development of software and services or IT projects under contract for other firms -- is projected to employ nearly two out of every five core IT workers (39.3 %) in 2006.

The Commerce Department specifically recommends that

• Government and the private sector should work together to support and develop national information and advertising campaigns to improve the image of the technical professions and communicate the portfolio of skills needed to thrive in the new economy.
• Businesses should form consortia or collaborate in other ways to reduce the cost and risk training.
• Universities and community colleges should find faster ways to upgrade curricula through regular surveys of skills needs, ongoing dialogue with IT business leaders and technical professionals and more monitoring of the business environment and technological trends.

The report is entitled "The Digital Work Force: Building InfoTech Skills at the Speed of Innovation" and is available on the web at http://www.ta.doc.gov/reports/itsw/Digital.pdf.

The report will no doubt be used by both critics and proponents of the H-1B visa program to bolster their causes. Opponents of more visas will likely focus on the Commerce Department recommendations that focus on recruiting domestic workers. Proponents of H-1B visas are likely to use the report to fight contentions by anti-H-1B forces that there are adequate numbers of US workers already and that any shortage of workers is really a myth made up by high tech firms interested in paying lower wages and avoiding hiring older workers.

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