more on Tech: A 'hostile environment' for US natives????

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

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.



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