Computers are the sizzling subeconomy Pace study debunks the IT outsourcing myth BY BILL FALLON

Computers are the sizzling subeconomy
Pace study debunks the IT outsourcing myth
BY BILL FALLON

The information technology job market for Westchester was strong in the second quarter, notably for computer scientists.

On the Pace-Skillproof IT Index Report, the overall IT job index rated 178 on a scale of zero to 250. That’s 41 points higher 30 percent than the same quarter of 2006.

On a scale of zero to 45, demand for computer scientists shot up from 16 to 39, or 144 percent.

The report stated: “Although the demand for computer scientists overshadowed that for all other categories for the second consecutive quarter, demand for network administrators and software engineers was also strong.”

Job growth in other computer specialties, such as, for example, experts in specific software applications who work on a temporary basis or who help companies adapt to items like the new iPhones, had been on a downward skid since April 2006, when demand peaked at .062 on a scale of zero to .07. By April 2007, that number had fallen to .009 before rebounding in June to .032.

The report was produced by Pace’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems Dean Susan M. Merritt, Ph.D., who oversaw it; Farrokh Z. Hormozi, Ph.D., of the Department of Public Administration; and Skillproof Inc.’s Henning C. Seip, who provided the data. This report is the group’s fourth.

The project’s genesis was tied to IT data that flew in the face of what might be termed an IT urban myth.

Said Hormozi: “There was a general perception there was a lot of outsoucing of IT jobs. But the data did not show it and we started looking into it more. This was two years ago. We tested and tested, remodeled, and tested again.”

The overall IT job market was already strong at the end of the 2007 first quarter, according to the study, 50 percent stronger than the fourth quarter of 2006.

“These data are helpful for anyone interested in the IT industry. A manager might look at the numbers and know a specific job market is tight and have to raise the hiring offers.” Students and educators can mold their paths consistent with what’s happening in the market, as well. IBM’s interest in the information sparked a $30,000 contribution to data gathering specific to the project.

Hormozi, 69, said feedback on the project has been “very, very good.” He is both a trained computer specialist and an economist who likened the project to the wedding of both fields.

For now, the data are drawn exclusively from Westchester and, for a second report the group publishes, Manhattan. Hormozi would like to expand to include all of New York state by year’s end.

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