Study: Not all entry-level IT work headed offshore

Even in the face of offshore outsourcing, there's hope for entry-level tech work in the United States.

That's the conclusion of a recent study by a University of California, Berkeley, researcher, who argues that the "downskilling" of some information technology work combined with training programs can potentially move many low-wage workers "into jobs with a career ladder."

"Although some entry-level work is disappearing offshore, the economy still offers opportunities for jobseekers with little college education to work in IT," Berkeley professor Karen Chapple wrote in a report published in March.

Chapple's conclusion would seem to run counter to much of the talk about the offshore phenomenon. Companies have been moving basic coding tasks--and in some cases higher-level research or design work--to lower-wage countries such as India. U.S. techies have been advised to upgrade their skills or combine business and technology savvy in order to remain competitive.

There's also a theory that IT itself worsens social divisions and income equality, in part by fueling a transformation of the economy into two poles: high-end knowledge workers and low-skill service workers.

But after interviewing more than 200 people, including IT employers, jobseekers and training providers, and conducting other research, Chapple found that the so-called digital divide can be bridged. Key is the emergence of entry-level IT tasks such as computer support, she said. As computers became more commonplace, Chapple said, computer support duties evolved into a separate job instead of additional work for computer programmers. What Chapple calls "IT maintainer" jobs, including computer support, require relatively little training--such as an associate's degree, she contends.

And Chapple offered a sunny prognosis on the prospect that at least some tech work will remain onshore. "Although many companies continue to investigate offshoring routine jobs that are outside their core competencies, some are finding that IT support may actually be core to how the company operates and thus are keeping it in-house," she wrote.

Chapple argued that nonprofit job training programs are important for disadvantaged individuals, in part because the programs "help them network into jobs."

But she was critical of a key federal program designed to help job seekers. "Unfortunately, these training programs emerged in spite of, not because of, the Workforce Investment Act," she wrote. "Although government funding...supports such programs in some states, these nonprofits rarely qualify for WIA training monies."

pure fantasy!

Why doesn't this "study" give any evidence of these entry-level jobs? They are certainly not to be found in the Bureau of Labor Statistics or on any jobs websites. The only white collar jobs for graduates are in sales. Of course, a person doesn't need a degree to sell laptops. Prestigious schools have reported significant decreses in computer science and engineering enrollment in the last 3 years. College students aren't stupid - they know there's no future in high tech. Other white collar sectors aren't creating any new jobs either. Where will America be in 20 years?

IT Support has been around for years, mid-level job loss is what's new

What the researcher is looking at is what's left, after years of layoffs and offshoring.

IT support has always around, those jobs existed in large number even in the mid-90's, when PC's became popular.

Many people are stuck in these support jobs. It used to be that you could go from support to a more advanced position (QA/Engineering), now that is impossible as jobs (and manyu new engineering centers) are off-shored.

It used to be that a support guy could get into QA and from there advance in engineering. Now they can either stay in support or leave (for another support position).

It's hard to out-source the job of snapping the parts of a computer together, or hooking the computer cable into the network socket.

But more advanced work can only be had (nowadays) by slapping sheep-skin (4+ year at 20k a year), and getting that engineering entry level job (so you can really learn how to do it through on the job traing).

Whoops sorry that engineering (entry level job) went to a guy India.

Yeah right!!! Support jobs are the only remaining IT jobs now...

How much IT support gets paid now? 20K??
And where IT support isn't going offshore?
Because IT support has to be physically presented to do the support! In another words, not offshore-able!!!

Why don't you look into the massive job loss in the middle to senior level IT positions?! I feel fortunate to graduate a few years earlier than my peers and manage to get more experience during these years, and thus still have a decent job today. But I have to admit that I spend most of my spare time reading tech books and try out new technologies in order to stay ahead of competitions. But I feel bad for some of my friends and classmates, who graduated almost a year after me. They are doing low-tech support and entry-level programming work for the past 3,4 years. It's not that they are not capable of doing higher level programming and engineering jobs. They are as smart and as hard-working as anyone else in the IT field. It's just that companies NEVER give them a chance and instead give the job to oversea developers w/ more years of experience and much lower pay.

I am worried about american's IT field future.
If this trends continue w/o sight of ending, we probably won't have many IT wizards left, if any.

There ARE good jobs out there

When I learnt COBOL in 1980, I thought I had a job for life - people would need IBM mainframe COBOL programmers, right ? Yeah, but now they're in India, Phillipines & China.

Well, I guess I'm pretty much done, writing COBOL (But I won't turn down an offer if I'm not working). But I found it was a pretty straightforward move to switch from a coding/engineering role to an architect role - first mainframe architect & now Middleware Integration Architect.

It's still the same game - figure what the industry need - before they've figured it out & you're laughing. At entry-level, it'd be tough to break into - but so was COBOL. Designing/building architecture, is something that can be done with training & ability - not everyone who WANTS to be an architect, can be one.

But the choice now is vast compared to 1980, when it was pretty much programmer or operator. Maybe a school leaver can only get a poorly paying job - but they generally don't have much to offer the business, to get a better rate - but my pay is 20 times, what it was, when I first started out.

[finleyd]

Get into Government IT

One area of IT unlikely to go overseas is the Government sector. The general growth in the sector and the impending retirement of the Baby Boom means that many IT opportunities for both direct Government jobs and for Contractors.