Information Technology and Employment

[KillerGremlin]

I realize I didn't really answer the question well....I think my answer would be:

If companies can cut the IT Department down and successfully run the company, they will keep the IT Department small even if the economy picks up. This means downsizing of IT. I think long term sustainability is going to be compromised however. Eventually they are going to need to drop a ton of money into new servers, or new computers, or new infrastructure, and that will require more IT help. I think a lot of IT departments in companies would maintain the position that they "scrape by" or have periods of wayyyy too much work.

That would be the other caveat of IT. Some stretches (like weeks) have you sitting on your ass all day with nothing to do. And then some weeks are super busy and you don't have any free time. But isn't that how most jobs office jobs go? LOL.

[Professor S]

KG, just to clarify my comments weren't specifically aimed at IT, but how all positions, especially white collar are impacted by information technology.

The jobs that were fazed out in my company were not IT, in fact IT grew by 2 positions. The jobs that were fazed out were mainly high level customer service and middle management. My job is an example, as it used to take 2 managers to do what I do now. One manager left and they simply moved the people under him to my team and with advances in cell phone and internet technology we've been able to increase performance with one less manager and 3 fewer team members. What used to be in person high level customer service calls or on-sote training events are now being fazed out because of the popularity of on-line meetings and training events. We simply need less people to get the same job done, and our clients are happier.

On the flip side... thats four less people employed in my department... and we could probably lose another team member and not even feel it.

[KillerGremlin]

What you are describing reminds me of the automobile assembly lines or robots replacing humans and stuff like that.

Realizing that advances in cell phone and Internet technology allowed them to downsize management to just you, I don't see any reason why they would rehire another manager if the economy improved, unless of course you need more help.

What used to be in person high level customer service calls or on-sote training events are now being fazed out because of the popularity of on-line meetings and training events. We simply need less people to get the same job done, and our clients are happier.

This is an ever increasing trend, for better or worse. I honestly see no reason why any company would rehire people for work that can be done efficiently or even more efficiently without them.

So, in my opinion (and to address this question):

Secondly, with how the landscape of careers have shifted in America over the last 20 years, is it necesarily a bad thing if they don't come back? Wll new opportunities be created in their stead as technology and business advance?

Will new opportunities be created? I think the answer is yes. Increased productivity means companies can pursue more ventures and get more things done faster.

Is it necessarily a bad thing? That I can't really answer. Obviously it's not good for the guys getting laid off. At the same time, I would imagine if you are one of the people who got laid off, you kind of had to expect or realize you are not a huge asset to the company.

I've noticed that many companies are laying off management. Management are often the unneeded middleman.

[KillerGremlin]

I've noticed that at the companies I have worked at that managers are become multifaceted. Many managers at the last job I had, for example, are also Engineers working on other projects. So as a result the company let some of management go and replaced them with head Engineer guys. If that system works well I doubt they would rehire management unless management could offer something that would greatly improve the company.