Harris Miller fails giggle test

Date: Tuesday, August 02, 2005 1:41 AM

JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER

by Rob Sanchez
August 02, 2005 No. 1303

Harris Miller of the ITAA has been shouting about shortages of IT workers in the United States ever since he began lobbying for H-1B in the late 1980s. Now he is quoted as saying that an _oversupply_ of IT workers may have something to do with a decline in interest in computer science. Say what?

"There are several causes for declining interest in computer
science. The dotcom and telecom bubble burst caused a brief
oversupply of IT workers in some categories."

This Harris Miller quote set off my BS alarm because I have never heard Harris Miller admit to shortages of IT workers. I decided to see what Harris Miller had to say about the supply of IT workers at the end of the dotcom and telecom bust. As I suspected his statement to the Hindu Businessline doesn't even pass the giggle test.

Harris Miller is right about one thing though - an oversupply of IT workers is one of the main reasons that American students are going for other types of diplomas. What he doesn't care to admit is that if there is one person that is responsible for the decline of programming and engineering as a career it is Harris Miller. Harris Miller may be trying to rewrite history in order to hide the destruction he is responsible for but his paper trail will haunt him to his grave.

I used Google to see what Harris Miller had to say about IT worker shortages during and after the bursting of the so-called telecom and dotcom bust. As you will see, his recent statement fails the giggle test when his statements from the past are examined:

In December of 2000, after the bubble had burst, Harris Miller said:

"The annual ceiling has simply been too low the last few years,
particularly when the economy has been as strong as it is and
unemployment has been as low as it is. Increasing the cap on an
annual basis to 195,000 is extremely helpful.

I decided to give Harris Miller the benefit of the doubt so I checked the year 1999 just to see if he had something to say about oversupplies during the popping of the bubble. Quite to the contrary Miller testified to Congress that there is a shortage of IT workers. Could it be that he was lying to Congress that there was a shortage? Here is what Miller had to say to Congress in 1999. Note the fact that in 1999 he said there was a shortage in "ALL" IT occupations but he now says that there was an oversupply of IT workers in "SOME CATEGORIES." If that doesn't make you giggle I don't know what will!

"ITAA long has been an outspoken organization on the impact of
the shortage of IT workers - whether in computer security or
any of the other IT occupations. We fully support efforts by
the Federal government to address the IT workforce shortage by
developing efforts, such as this fellowship program, to
increase the number of IT skilled workers in the workforce."

If we go waaaaaaay back to 1998, an ITAA press release talks about shortages, not oversupplies:

ITAA also released the results of a major new workforce study
it conducted with Virginia Tech University. The study found
that IT worker shortages are large and growing. The current
"core" IT workforce is reported to be 3,354,000, including
programmers, systems analysts and computer engineers.
346,000 or approximately 10 percent of positions are open today,
according to the study. The ITAA/Virginia Tech study is based
on a stratified random sample and telephone survey of 1,493
companies with more than 100 employees, in both the IT and
non-IT industries, conducted last November and December.
Over 500 companies participated in the research.

References:

http://www.govtech.net/magazine/gt/2000/dec/34.php
The H-1B Visa Debate

http://www.house.gov/science/miller_093099.htm
"The Computer Security Enhancement Act of 1999: The Information Technology Industrys Perspective"
Testimony of Harris N. Miller, President, Information Technology Association of America, Presented to: House Committee on Science Subcommittee on Technology

http://www.itaa.org/news/pr/PressRelease.cfm?ReleaseID=95
1998 ITAA PRESS RELEASE - National IT Worker Shortage Convocation Launches Quest For Systematic Solutions

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/08/01/stories/2005080102080100.htm

Date:01/08/2005

Fear of job loss due to outsourcing - IT career loses sheen among US students
Moumita Bakshi Chatterjee

New Delhi , July 31

RISING salaries and a growing software industry may have made IT one of the most sought-after careers for Indian students. An estimated 73,500 engineering graduates are expected to take up hi-tech jobs this fiscal.

But computer science is fast losing popularity among US students in undergraduate institutions owing to fears of job loss due to outsourcing.

"There are several causes for declining interest in computer science. The dotcom and telecom bubble burst caused a brief oversupply of IT workers in some categories. In addition, overheated political rhetoric and sensational media coverage caused an exaggerated perception of global sourcing's impact on US jobs," Mr Harris N. Miller, President of IT Association of America, told Business Line in an e-mail response.

As per a study by Computing Research Association - a group of over 200 North American universities and laboratories - there has been a 19-per cent drop in US college students opting for computer science.

The study reveals that the popularity of IT at American undergraduate institutions has taken a major hit over the past few years as enrolment levels have dropped to lows "not seen since the early 1970s." While a major reason for the initial decline in interest has been attributed to the slowdown in the tech industry, analysts say fears of an eventual shift of IT jobs to India, Russia and China may have made the jobs seem further out of reach.

In sharp contrast, the interest level in IT among Indian students is at a high - a trend fuelled by rapid expansion of the Indian IT industry and increasing salary levels.

"In software alone, 1,20,000 new jobs are likely to be created this year, against 1,10,000 in 2004-05, and 50,000 in 2001-02," Mr Sunil Mehta, Vice-President of Nasscom, said.

Nasscom expects 73,500-84,000 engineering graduates to go for IT jobs in the current financial year, compared to 56,000-64,000 in 2004-05. The balance will flow from the B.Sc stream with students opting for GNIIT courses, as well as students from other disciplines going in for diplomas.

Nasscom says the high interest is also due to cutting-edge research activities being undertaken by various companies. "Few years ago, the attraction of an IT career was the opportunity to go and work abroad. This subsequently changed to an opportunity to earn more than in other industries. The latest driver is the scope in R&D work here," said Mr Mehta.

For the of IT Association of America, the study is "an alarming sign" that interest among students in IT-related fields is waning. "The inaccurate perception that global sourcing is causing a net loss in US technology jobs is a factor in some students' decisions not to pursue higher education in IT. It is a perception that we are working to correct," Mr Miller said.

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