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more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives????
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 15:22:01 -0400
Begin forwarded message: From: Bob Drzyzgula <bob () drzyzgula org> Date: May 6, 2005 7:51:47 AM EDT To: David Farber <dave () farber net> Cc: Ip <ip () v2 listbox com>Subject: Re: [IP] more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives????
Dave, There are two interesting items in today's Computerwire that you might find interesting in light of the current discussion. --Bob Drzyzgula | Ahoy There, Programmers! Offshoring on a Boat | --------------------------------------------- | | Two American entrepreneurs, David Cook and Roger Green, | backed by investment from former assistant secretary of | defense Barry Shillito, are promoting a novel offshoring | concept to ease fears over job migration. | | They plan to take a used ship, dock it in international | waters just three miles off the California coast, and put | 600 software engineers recruited mostly from India on it | to provide low-cost outsourcing services. | | The company, called SeaCode Inc, claims that this delivery | method will ensure US jobs stay close to home, while clients | will get the same competitive rates they get for offshoring | projects to countries like India or China. | | SeaCode will be registered in the Bahamas, meaning | it will not be subject to US labor laws and H-1B visa | requirements. The company has already identified a $10m | ship called the Carousel, and expects the cost of funding | the whole venture to come to $30m. | | Terming its delivery model as "Hybrid-Sourcing", SeaCode said | staff on board would work in two eight-to-ten hour shifts in | a four-months-on, two-months off cycle. They will be paid an | average salary of $1,800 a month and be given free boarding, | and shore leave for those with valid visas to enter the US. | | Critics have called the venture a "slave ship" that has | "exploitative" plans to make people work under "inhumane" | conditions. Indian call centers and programming facilities | are already suffering high attrition rates as employees turn | their backs on the antisocial working hours and repetitive | job tasks, so who would want to do the same thing on a ship? | | Green said: "Engineers can be really productive if you give | them the right setting. We will be putting them in perfect | setting with few distractions and it'll be a perfect place | for getting engineers to work." | | Developing World Coders Grow Faster | ----------------------------------- | | If you think it is tough finding a job as a programmer | in North America, you may be disheartened to hear it may | just end up getting even worse. According to a new research | report by IDC, the North American programmer pool that has | represented the vast majority of programming in the past | several decades is feeling the pressure from growth in | emerging economies and the growing practice of outsourcing | and offshoring. | | IDC is projecting that the worldwide pool of professional | developers will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 9.8% | between 2003 and 2008, reaching 14.9 million programmers by | the end of 2008. The countries with the most programmers | are currently, in ranking order: the United States, Russia, | India, Japan, Canada, Germany, China, the United Kingdom, | France, Italy, and Spain. | | But growth rates in China and India are going to shift | the balance, with China's programmer pool expected to | grow at 25.6% CAGR and India's at 24.5%. On a geographical | region basis, Asia/Pacific (which includes China and Japan | and other Asian countries but not India) will have more | programmers than North America by early 2006. And because of | the influence of India, the Middle East/Africa region will | have the highest regional growth rate, with a CAGR in the | number of programmers between of 18.3% between 2003 and 2008. | | To compete, programmers in North America are going to have to | live by their wits, using automated and rapid development | techniques as well as whatever deep knowledge they can | muster. Bad documentation and a lack of native language | training will hold back these developing nations somewhat, | but the sheer numbers of bright and motivated people in | China and India mean a lot of newbie programmers are going | to find success. ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as lists-ip () insecure org To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/
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- more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives???? David Farber (May 06)
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- more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives???? David Farber (May 06)
- more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives???? David Farber (May 06)
- more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives???? David Farber (May 07)
- more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives???? David Farber (May 07)
- more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives???? David Farber (May 07)
- more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives???? David Farber (May 07)
- more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives???? David Farber (May 08)
- more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives???? David Farber (May 08)
- more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives???? David Farber (May 08)
- more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives???? David Farber (May 09)
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