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The IT Worker Market: Views from Two Points. Yigal Arens Director, Intelligent Systems Division USC/ISI. Information Sciences Institute University of So. California. 250 Staff & 80 graduate research assts Six Research divisions Artificial Intelligence, ~70 staff & students System projects
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The IT Worker Market:Views from Two Points Yigal Arens Director, Intelligent Systems Division USC/ISI
Information Sciences InstituteUniversity of So. California • 250 Staff & 80 graduate research assts • Six Research divisions • Artificial Intelligence, ~70 staff & students • System projects • Robust, although not commercial grade • Technology transfer emphasis
DGRC • A USC/ISI-Columbia University Collaboration • Purpose: • Advance information systems research • Bring the benefits of cutting edge IS research to government systems • Help educate government and the community
Fetch Technologies • Three founders from USC/ISI • Up to ~40 employees • Angel investment • ~$4M total • Difficulty finding additional investment now
June 2000 at ISI • Over 20 people had left for start ups within the previous 18 months • Some with a decade or more of experience • Contracts were sitting with no researchers • Offers (for research positions) were coming in at up to 30% over current salaries • Reliance on people with H1B visas • Salaries were adjusted up ~10% on average • This was the case not just at ISI
June 2000 at Fetch • Senior programmers (M.Sc. Level) were offered $90K and up • And nobody came. Had to start with $100K • This was 30% above ISI salary for similar seniority • Had to keep salaries secret from collaborating ISIers…
Between 6/2000 and 4/2001 • Downturn in dot.com sector • People not being lured away • People at startups and established companies being laid off
April 2001 at ISI and Fetch • A few researchers have returned to ISI • Those wanting a job got one–immediately • Funds are available, i.e., jobs went unfilled • Fetch is contemplating staff reduction • Positions for several are available on ISI projects • No panic: Engineers feel they can find another job in industry in a week
"The Dot-Bomb Survivors Club"U.S. News & World Report, March 19 • Laid-off workers find jobs with ease • Albeit in different sectors of Internet economy • Unemployment in Silicon Valley is 1.5% • Computer-related companies are surviving • Investment capital is still available • Although far more competitive
First annual NSF-sponsored digital government conference • May 20-23, 2001 • Los Angeles, California • Well, actually in Redondo Beach… • Registration and information: http://www.dgrc.org/dg.o2001