Firms go outside Michigan to fill IT jobs

**Jimaz** · May-14-12, 10:39 PM

Front page in today's Detroit News: Firms go outside Michigan to fill IT jobs—They cite talent shortage while some workers with tech skills can't find jobs

GalaxE.Solutions, a project management firm known for its "Outsource to Detroit" banner on its Woodward Avenue building, has stumbled trying to fill 500 IT jobs.

"There is a shortage nationwide of good IT talent," said Ryan Hoyle, director of global recruiting for GalaxE, which has 150 IT workers in Detroit and hopes to add 350 in the next few years. "There just aren't a lot of top students going into IT."

Kudos to the local firms trying to fill the gap now but what was conspicuously omitted from the article was that, so few years ago, the ominous message was delivered to future IT students that all IT jobs had been permanently outsourced to India.

Why feign surprise now? What changed? Did the horse leave the barn?

**JBMcB** · May-15-12, 12:00 PM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

Why feign surprise now? What changed? Did the horse leave the barn?

This has nothing to do with outsourcing to India - they are saying that they can't find employees who meet their criteria in Michigan, so they are hiring from out of state.

A lot of the new IT job postings I've seen have very specific requirements - it's pretty difficult finding candidates who have a very specific skill set that they are looking for.

Imagine a job posting for a garage looking for a mechanic experienced in fixing the electrical systems in late 70's Mack trucks. That's similar to the specificity of some of these IT postings.

**Jimaz** · May-15-12, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by JBMcB

This has nothing to do with outsourcing to India - they are saying that they can't find employees who meet their criteria in Michigan, so they are hiring from out of state.

I understand the latter. The former has indeed been a major factor dissuading students from entering the IT field yet the author didn't mention it once.

**jt1** · May-15-12, 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

I understand the latter. The former has indeed been a major factor dissuading students from entering the IT field yet the author didn't mention it once.

Interesting they can't find any matches. Maybe that's because their website only lists two jobs open in Detroit.

That leads me to believe that [[a) they are being a little disengenious and getting free press in doing so or [[b) not truly posting the jobs so they may claim there are no qualified candidates which would allow them to petition for more foreign visas. Both are common practices

**iheartthed** · May-15-12, 02:59 PM

Originally Posted by jt1

Interesting they can't find any matches. Maybe that's because their website only lists two jobs open in Detroit.

That leads me to believe that [[a) they are being a little disengenious and getting free press in doing so or [[b) not truly posting the jobs so they may claim there are no qualified candidates which would allow them to petition for more foreign visas. Both are common practices

They only have 8 jobs total on their web site, half of which are in India. Doesn't sound like they are doing an onshore hiring binge any time soon.

**professorscott** · May-15-12, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

They only have 8 jobs total on their web site, half of which are in India. Doesn't sound like they are doing an onshore hiring binge any time soon.

A good reporter would have done the tiny amount of due diligence required to check the fact of how many people they were trying to hire - in this case, the backbreaking task of clicking on a web site - before just printing as a fact how they were trying to fill hundreds of jobs.

**Jimaz** · May-15-12, 11:02 PM

Originally Posted by professorscott

... before just printing as a fact how they were trying to fill hundreds of jobs.

Or "thousands," the first word of the article with the largest headline in Monday's hardcopy Detroit News.

After the many historic outsourcing betrayals, I'm very skeptical about students' prospects entering IT, while incurring massive student debt, especially when India's influence is so conspicuously ignored as in an article such as this.

Predatory lending makes everyone suspicious of everyone else. It discourages legitimate commerce.