Talent shortage threatens tech

Azim Premji, an Indian entrepreneur who became one of the richest men in the world by transforming a small cooking oil business into a global information technology powerhouse, says the United States’ business leadership needs to "take the problem by the horns" and better address the country’s growing shortage of high-tech professionals.

Premji, CEO and chairman of Bangalore-based Wipro Ltd., calls the lack of technology talent in the U.S. a "serious problem."

"America does not have the talent," said Premji, 62, in a Jan. 29 interview with Atlanta Business Chronicle. "There’s a huge shortage of IT professionals here."

Premji, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes magazine at $17.1 billion, has become the world’s 21st-richest person by offshoring work from the United States and Europe. But now, he says, it’s time to start creating jobs in the very places that used to outsource them.

Atlanta Business Chronicle – 2008-02-08 by Justin Rubner Staff writer

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