Staying on top in the global IT job market – Broadened management skills, new titles, and client-facing roles are likely safe havens in years to come

These are scary times for U.S. IT professionals, many of whom are convinced that they’re this generation’s steelworkers. The growing reliance on offshore partnerships and the spectacular spread of the global marketplace are leading to the revamping of business models, the reshuffling and downsizing of IT outfits throughout the United States, and the shifting of workforces across continents.

This rapid evolution is forcing tech workers to realign their skills to advance their companies’ core business needs while putting a premium on agility and international-business acumen.

The sustained upheaval in the IT labor market prompted the research firm Gartner to devote its May 2005 ITxpo to the thorny question, “Where Do We Go From Here?” (The consultancy predicted that by 2010, IT departments in large and midsize companies will shrink by nearly one-third of their size in 2000.) For years, business executives answered that question by hiring overseas.

Matthew Bradley, vice president of corporate engineering at Hyperion, for instance, recently heralded offshoring as a “strategic imperative for the business to remain successful.” Kim Polese, CEO of SpikeSource, agreed, saying, “any forward-thinking company has built a global presence into their planning and strategy.”

As more and more companies seek their competitive advantage offshore, stateside technology workers are struggling to find what their edge will be in the years ahead. Fortunately, U.S. workers willing to adapt will find themselves with several options to stay gainfully employed. Hiring managers and outsourcing specialists point to an increased demand for managerial positions that incorporate broadened project-management skills. They also point to new titles, such as business transformation architects, and the prevalence of client-facing roles that simply cannot be outsourced.

By Richard Gincel

Full Story: http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/07/04/27FEglobal_1.html