Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology 1200 New York Ave., NW, Suite 390 Washington, DC 20005 Tel: (202) 326-7080 Fax: (202) 842-1603 http://www.cpst.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Tom Warnke COMPANY: Laufer Green Isaac PHONE: (310) 575-9200 E-MAIL: tom@lauferpr.com New Data on the IT Workforce Fuels Capitol Hill Debates on Immigration and Outsourcing WASHINGTON, D.C (September 17, 2003) - Trends in outsourcing, immigration, higher education, and employment are leaving domestic IT professionals wondering if there will be enough demand for their services in coming years, according to new information released today by The Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology (CPST). The fifth in a series of reports known collectively as the IT Workforce Data Project, The Outlook in 2003 for Information Technology Workers in the USA, was supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and first released during a Congressional "Breakfast Bytes" briefing on Capitol Hill this morning. The IT Workforce Data Project series identifies and disseminates trustworthy statistics on information technology workers in the United States. Among the new information released: • Recession Effects: Employment has been declining since reaching peak levels in 2000; levels of joblessness shot up from 1.9 percent in 1999, to 3.6 percent in 2001, 4.3 percent in 2002, and an average of 5.9 percent for the first two quarters in 2003. • Immigration Trends: During the past decade, the share of foreign-born persons in the IT workforce has doubled and use of L-1 visas for foreign employees of multinational businesses has tripled. • Higher Education: The number of new bachelor's students in computer science jumped 40% in 1995-96, after a 5% increase the previous year, leading to record numbers of new degrees in IT disciplines through 2001-2002 academic year, according to the Computing Research Association. • Outsourcing: Outsourcing of IT work to foreign locations has quadrupled. Outsourced transactions in technical work have grown from $300 million in 1995 to over $1.2 billion in 2001 . This new data is especially timely given the national focus on corporate outsourcing and H-1B and L-1 work visas. "These issues are of significant interest to Congress. It is essential that we have access to reliable data as we consider policies that will affect the IT industry as a whole," said Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL), Co-Chair of the House Information Technology Roundtable. Biggert's Co-Chair, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) added, "Timely, accurate information supports our efforts to develop policy that best enables American IT professionals to obtain and keep suitable work, encourages new workers to consider IT as a viable career choice, and allows the IT industry to attract the talent it needs." Richard Ellis, principal investigator for the research, describes this comprehensive look at the supply and utilization of workers in U.S. IT jobs, "Many reports are bullish on prospects for careers in core IT data professions, but the views of workers are not so sanguine. The data suggest that the problem isn't that the supply of technical talent in the United States is insufficient, but rather that there are insufficient incentives for able people to choose scientific and technical careers." "The national discussion around issues that will dramatically affect the IT industry is likely to intensify in the coming weeks. While not everyone will agree on the implications of this data, policy influentials, industry representatives, and IT workers now have access to reliable statistics as they formulate their views," said Michael Teitelbaum, Program Director of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Download a copy of the new report and the original four reports by clicking here. The Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology (CPST), founded in 1953 as the Scientific Manpower Commission, is a nonprofit corporation whose membership includes leading professional societies, corporations, institutions, and individuals concerned with advancing the public's understanding of professionals in science and technology, their roles, education, and employment. For more information, visit www.cpst.org. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a philanthropic nonprofit institution, was established in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan Jr., then president and chief executive officer of the General Motors Corporation. For more information, visit www.sloan.org. ##### [Note to editor: Media interviews with the following individuals can be arranged:] Eleanor Babco, Executive Director, Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology Burt Barnow, Ph.D., Associate Director for Research, Johns Hopkins University Representative Judy Biggert (R- IL) Representative Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) Richard Ellis, IT Workforce Data Project Principal Investigator, Ellis Research Services Richard Florida, Ph.D., H. John Heinz III Professor of Economic Development at Carnegie Mellon University Ron Hira, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Rochester Institute of Technology Lindsay Lowell, Ph.D., IT Workforce Data Project Principal Investigator, Institute for the Study of International Migration, Georgetown University Michael S. Teitelbaum, Program Director, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Jeff Wheeler, Staffing Market Intelligence, Intel Corporation CPST Home |  Membership |  Publications Sloan Foundation |  Contact Us