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The grass is not always greener

Jill Hamlyn
By Jill Hamlyn, Managing Director
Johannesburg, 16 Nov 2000

Ongoing newspaper reports have highlighted a frightening "brain drain" from SA as skilled and talented professionals flee to what they assume to be greener pastures.

The predictors of movement compared with the actual trends are proving to be an interesting barometer that reflects the discontinuous transformation that is currently being experienced within the IT industry. How we analyse and adapt to the information provided could have serious repercussions in the quest to reach our full potential.

The emigration reports are definitely having an impact on all areas of work, not just the IT industry. Arguably, the IT industry may be the one to suffer the most. Lack of people and lack of the correct skills may conspire with a lack of time and awareness to produce a situation that is going to have severe repercussions across the board.

It is interesting to note, however, that SA is not the only country in the world experiencing this phenomenon. Recent international publications and documentaries have revealed that the IT industry in countries such as the UK is facing a similar exodus of skills.

Promised land

With the ever-increasing crime problem and declining currency, many South Africans regard the UK as the proverbial land of milk and honey and would be surprised to know that IT personnel in Britain would consider moving to another country.

Skilled IT personnel in the UK, and indeed SA, are moving to Central and Eastern Europe, the former communist countries of the Eastern and Soviet Blocs. Career opportunities and earning potential are said to be higher in these geographical areas. As with SA - and it would now appear other countries as well - skills shortages, inflated salaries and staff retention issues are challenges that need to be met.

Eastern and Soviet Europe are not the only areas to which skilled IT personnel are relocating. There is also a strong trend towards a movement "down under" as Australia is viewed as being able to provide a better and healthier lifestyle.

Added to these issues is the problem of salary differentials between large multinational corporations and local companies in the same area. This tends to cause an erratic and unstable employment market, with a shift towards short-term contracting.

Progressive employment

With the breakdown in international boundaries within the IT field there is also a significantly growing move towards telecommuting. Recent figures from the US reveal that nearly 30% of small businesses utilise this progressive employment relationship that results in a reduction of costs and an increase in controlled productivity.

There is still currently a lot of hype regarding the predicted worldwide shortage of technical skills. Many interesting predictions have emerged over the last 12 months but have yet to translate into actuality, even within the global environment. Many followers of these trends are currently experiencing unfulfilled expectations both locally and internationally. The whole world would appear to be in a state of flux.

The big question is whether this movement is likely to continue, become exacerbated or possibly come to a grinding halt. Given the global economy and the existing trends, the latter option would presumably be a total improbability.

It certainly does not seem possible that countries that are still currently welcoming skilled IT immigrants with open arms may start to take a hard line with the very same people. Nor that overseas companies offering attractive benefits packages including up to 25% over and above salaries for relocation, share options, accommodation, health club membership and sometimes school fees may start to withdraw these as the demand for skills becomes less urgent.

Looking to the future

The conclusion therefore has to be that those with skills in IT are undoubtedly sitting in the pound seats at the moment both for the immediate and obvious future. The major challenge has to be the identification and acquisition of the skills that are going to create those opportunities that will ensure not only immediate, but ongoing future success within such an erratic market.

In order to ensure long-term and continuous growth, common sense has to prevail when thinking about joining the worldwide movement of skilled personnel. Time is a gift that is given to us. With this gift comes responsibility and choice as to how to use it. Many young people feel they have enough time to spend a few years doing whatever they want to do before they settle down. Their choices and flexibility are therefore great.

The reality is that someone who is a little older should exercise caution when considering a radical move. If it is part of a broader life plan, then go ahead but be wary of inaccurate evidence. If there is no plan, you should endeavour to make one and then decide whether a move could comfortably be part of it.

As with anything in life, there are pros and cons to attempting something a little bit out of the ordinary. The options need to be weighed up very carefully, and you may find that in some cases the grass may not be as green on the other side of the fence as previously thought. The predictors are, at present, purely that, predictors. Opinions voiced are also often based on hype, so beware of the risks.

Trends in IT concerning the working environment are certainly now, more than ever, an excitingly capricious but plausibly inaccurate science.

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