Note: This column represents the opinions
of the writer and as such, is not purported as fact
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At last,
the contents of Aardvark's "million-dollar ideas" notebook
are revealed for all to see!
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Just a year ago we were being told that NZ was losing its best and brightest
IT workers to foreign lands -- lured by better pay and greater opportunity.
We were also told that, as a result of this brain drain, the global shortage
of good IT staff had hit us and we needed to bring in more skilled immigrants.
To its credit, the government was fairly quick to respond to the exodus of
our IT population and introduced a number of initiatives designed to
make New Zealand a more attractive place to stay or return to.
Unfortunately they haven't addressed the main issue -- that of the "in your
pocket" annual income for such workers.
Other Recent Columns
If you've just discovered Aardvark, check out some of the earlier
editions by viewing
the archives or by clicking on one of
this small selection:
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Never the less, there is evidence to suggest that ex-pat IT workers are indeed
beginning to return home and fewer graduates are jumping ship at the earliest
opportunity.
Unfortunately this appears to have created an even worse problem.
There are now a growing number of new graduates, skilled managers, and
returned IT workers who are finding it damned difficult to get a job.
Certainly being a web designer is no longer a guarantee that you'll have
companies beating down your door with $100 notes in an attempt to offer
you a highly paid position. In fact it would appear from the feedback
that I've been receiving, web designers make up a good percentage of those
currently seeking a good job.
To these young (and old) Kiwis struggling to find a job in the IT industry,
the arrival of immigrants with skillsets the same as their own is hardly
something to be happy about either.
Likewise, foreign IT workers lured to NZ by the promise of jobs and a better lifestyle
might well be a little disappointed when they find out that the days of milk
and honey are over -- or at least beginning to wane.
However there is something interesting happening in Australia.
A new "Center of Excellence" is being planned across the ditch and,
according to reports,
it will receive over A$200 million in funding over five years with an
operating budget of around A$100 million per year.
Obviously such a venture will require plenty of smart IT people to make it
work -- so those Kiwis and potential immigrants who are disillusioned by
the situation here in NZ might consider a quick hop across the Tasman.
Of course the $1.1 billion dollar question is -- will such a "Center of
Excellence" pay dividends?
Personally I tend to think that the best innovation comes from small,
largely self-funded individuals or companies.
The mere thought of how much bureaucracy and administrative overhead will
be involved in a $1.1 billion operation such as this leaves me cold.
Maybe NZ has the right idea with its smaller technology grants and acknowledgement
that the little guys have as much, if not more to offer in the field of
innovation as the big institutes and corporations.
I guess time will tell.
In the meantime, if you're an employer looking for IT staff, or an IT worker
looking for a job, don't forget that there is a Job Center
page on this site.
AcessNZ Back From The Dead
Like a phoenix from the ashes of a lapsed domain name registration,
AccessNZ has returned
from the dead.
I guess this is a timely reminder to ensure that the contact information
on your Domainz file is kept up to date.
The downside is that while there are still scum such as ING around, you
might, despite Domainz best attempts to prevent it, find your email address
being harvested by spammers and scamsters.
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