Change has become a buzz-word throughout the labor market. Much of the recent changes in the workplace have been predicated on the events of 9/11, with accounting improprieties by certain large corporations taking a second. The rapidity of these changes seem even more poignant as we approach the one-year marker of September 11th and pursue a national and global debate on war engagement with Iraq, which is sure to have further effects on all sectors of U.S. markets.

In its 2002 report, Bouncing Back: Jobs, Skills and Continuing Demand for IT Workers, the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) provides a number of important insights into the IT market in the past year. An interesting component of this study is how long an IT professional can expect to stay with one employer.

In a recent Monster.com article, writer John Rossheim, in looking at the IT market, found that one Midwest IT placement firm typified the impact of 9/11 when they reported that production has been down 50% since that day.

However, according to the ITAA's Bouncing Back report, outsourcing has grown in popularity among non-IT companies.

"Traditionally, contracting requirements increase first as you begin to recover from a recession with full-time employment gaining steam as the economic recovery progresses," said Ross Squire, founder of New York tech placement firm KnowledgeStaff.

Whether as a means of coping with a rise in permanent staffing gaps or as a means of coping with recessionary staffing, corporations will need to maintain the integrity of their IT staffing to meet the unceasing demands required of corporate technology.

A substantial number of the 532 hiring managers from IT and non-IT companies surveyed for the ITAA report believe that an average acceptable time to retain their IT workers is just slightly over 2 years. This number is down from last year’s report, which showed that acceptable tenure was 33 months. Non-IT companies in particular have significantly reduced their expectations for employees’ length of stay from three years to less than two years as an acceptable period with the company.

"I think that this trend reflects the new business common sense," said Squire. "The days of remaining with one corporation for many years and being taken care of by the corporation are long gone. The reality is that there is more attention paid to bottom line profits and employees are aware that that is the primary motivator for the corporation. The employees' focus needs to remain on making sure that they take care of themselves. This translates into making sure that their skills remain current, that compensation levels and benefits remain competitive, etc."

2002 Copyright Vanessa Cross. Printed with Permission.

About the Author
Vanessa Cross is a freelance writer working out of Memphis, Tennessee. She can be reached at crosswriting@yahoo.com

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