New Work permit scheme

Manach

According to news reports the minister is introducing a new scheme for work permits
"
...
Mr Bruton described the Bill as an “important piece of reform” and said Ireland “must have an employment system that is flexible”.
“As you know, there are huge opportunities in the ICT (information and communication technology) sector,” Mr Bruton said. “It’s forecast that, over the next five years, there will be 44,000 vacancies. Our ambition, and I will work with [Minister for Education] Ruairí Quinn, is to fill as many of those as we can from the Irish-based education system – 75 per cent is our target.”
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" - IT link.
On the one hand, it could be that making Ireland more IT global hiring friendly would boost investment. On the other, it could depress wage demand in the IT sector (not necessarily a bad from the Employers viewpoint).

What are people's opinions and is there such a skills shortage?

Sparks

Took one read of that and the very first thing that came to mind was the H1B Visa abuses from the US. Second thought was that it's bull**** - you don't need a permit to come work here from within the EU and there is no way you're convincing me that our skills shortage here is so dire and endemic to all nations that you can't recruit enough people from the rest of the EU but have to go outside it to satisfy demand.

It seems far more likely to me that this is a way to bring workers from countries outside the EU with far lower wage expectations, and have them work for one company with no ability to jump to another for better pay, while undercutting native and EU workers and driving down overall pay in the country (all the while doing nothing to drive down the cost of living).

It's almost as if someone took a look at the continental european model of 39 hour work weeks, enforced vacation time, parental leave, and generally okay-to-decent record for treating people and then took a look a the US model of work-till-you-drop, vacation-time-shows-weakness, the-little-woman-at-home-is-how-you-do-childcare, at-will employment, and generally treating people as resources and decided that we'd much rather be closer to boston than berlin.

Can't say I agree with the idea, not like this anyway. If companies think there's a skills shortage, pay more, you'll find the workers. If what they actually mean is there's a shortage of skilled workers who'll work for low pay, well that's not really a problem, that's called reality and they should get on with sucking it up.

Calina

Sparks wrote: »

If companies think there's a skills shortage, pay more, you'll find the workers. If what they actually mean is there's a shortage of skilled workers who'll work for low pay, well that's not really a problem, that's called reality and they should get on with sucking it up.

It's what they actually mean I think.

Case in point; we've been told analytics are the next big thing and that "we need people in that area". I'd an interest in moving in that general decision and it formed some decisions I made last year.

So a couple of vacancies - which on the face of it should pique my interest - where data analysts are required, with additional requirement of some foreign language skills, which I have.

1) 11E an hour
2) 28KE a year

Way back in a previous life I worked as a secretary. I earned more 15 years ago nominally than those two were offering.

If we really need people in the analytics area, the salaries would be higher than that. I think it's the same as "we need computer people" provided they are all willing to work entry level tech support. I don't believe the salaries either in IT or data analytics support the theory of a general shortage. I suspect they support a desire to pay as little as possible.

FWIW, France announced some sort of visa directed towards people who want to found start ups in France and I believe the UK have a similar program in place too.

That being said, I'm interest to know why Ireland is trying to set up an economy based on low wages and high cost accommodation. I wouldn't care about the houses being so pricey if rent wasn't, but...

moycullen14

Calina wrote: »

It's what they actually mean I think.

Case in point; we've been told analytics are the next big thing and that "we need people in that area". I'd an interest in moving in that general decision and it formed some decisions I made last year.

So a couple of vacancies - which on the face of it should pique my interest - where data analysts are required, with additional requirement of some foreign language skills, which I have.

1) 11E an hour
2) 28KE a year

Way back in a previous life I worked as a secretary. I earned more 15 years ago nominally than those two were offering.

If we really need people in the analytics area, the salaries would be higher than that. I think it's the same as "we need computer people" provided they are all willing to work entry level tech support. I don't believe the salaries either in IT or data analytics support the theory of a general shortage. I suspect they support a desire to pay as little as possible.

FWIW, France announced some sort of visa directed towards people who want to found start ups in France and I believe the UK have a similar program in place too.

That being said, I'm interest to know why Ireland is trying to set up an economy based on low wages and high cost accommodation. I wouldn't care about the houses being so pricey if rent wasn't, but...

For as long as I can remember, people have been banging on about a 'shortage' of IT skills. If this was the case, IT contractors wouldn't be earning a fraction today of what they earned 15 years ago.

Sadly, it's the same old crap of companies wanting to keep wages down by 'importing' cheap labour.

I'm pretty sure if a mid-level development role attracted a salary of 100K, there would be no shortage of applicants.

You have to be so careful - especially if you're trying to manage a career - of the crap the governments come out with. I remember back in the 90s when call-centres were going to be the big thing. Kids being encouraged to get language skills in college. For what? A lousy job paying 20K pa and no chance of advancement.

skill shortages don't matter a damn. What matters is the quality of jobs/careers out there.