Engineering & Education, The Economy, The National Interest, Work
High Tech Worker Shortage Threatens Economy
Worker Shortage Called Maryland, USA Threat by Phillip McGowan, Baltimore Sun:
A shortage of workers with high-tech and other skills needed to fill defense and homeland security jobs threatens not only Maryland’s economic development but also the nation’s war on terrorism, according to a report released yesterday.
The Fort Meade Alliance, a group of business leaders that lobbies on behalf of the Army post in Anne Arundel County, argued that Maryland isn’t doing enough to steer students to engineering, math and scientific fields, and the college graduates it is producing lack basic skills in communication, teamwork and leadership.
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Though the United States produces about 72,000 engineers a year, up nearly 10,000 from the 1980s, those numbers “aren’t enough to soak up all the demand,” said Bob Black, deputy executive director of the American Society for Engineering Education.Start them young “To get a greater supply, we have to make structural changes to our education to get more people in the K-12 science and engineer pipeline earlier,” said Black, echoing remarks of panelists in May.
December 18th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
Wait, I have to stop laughing…. I tell you what there is a shortage of, snow in Florida in December. We should import snow from Greenland. there is a Glut of workers, don’t fall for the self serving lies of big business who want cheap indentured servants.I’ll agree there is a shortage, a shortage of engineers willing to work for minimum wage. I guess if you repeat the BIG LIE loud enough and often enough(it worked for Hitler)
Just a little logic will tell you what the H1B program does.
The law of supply and demand applies to labor.
When supply increases or demand decreases the price of a commodity(like labor) goes down. Producers make less, supply decreases and the price reaches a balance. It’s a nice feedback system that works well, It’s called Capitalism and Free trade.
When Government interferes in the Free market that is socialism or Communism.
These Cheap visa indentured servants who lack the rights of Americans to change jobs, join unions, negotiate salaries, and who are baited with the Carrot of U.S. citizenship and the favorable exchange rate do not help keep are country secure. Americans with rights and jobs keep us safe.
More Visas = greater supply of engineers= lower wages = less Americans entering field = lobbying for more cheap labor H1B’s…..
Less visas = increased wages for engineers = Americans entering field = Less visas needed.
The companies who whine about the lack of engineers are the same ones who glorify free trade with country’s that have lower standards of living, and few if any enforced labor or environmental laws.
Also does anyone know the proportion of male to female visas? I see very few women getting these, shouldn’t it be around %50 or is the program deliberately sexist?
A comment from a fifth generation American ex-Engineer who’s grandfather died for this country.