Idaho’s software labor shortage and economic development

For months, I’ve studied the debate on whether there’s a shortage of software developers in Idaho. I’ve decided there is a gap, but there’s also a broader issue of concern. I’ll explain.

To research the labor market, I dived into academic papers, studied arguments for and against visa programs for skilled foreign workers, read dry economic formulas with regression analyses, and tracked international, national and regional statistics. But I’m not going to descend into the rabbit hole of tracking all the different arguments, because that type of analysis would be pages long. I’m going to try to keep it clean and simple.

Is there a shortage of software developers in Idaho? Yes, there is. Even a recent article http://thebluereview.org/make-or-buy/ in Boise State University’s Blue Review that questions the significance of the software industry relative to other sectors in Idaho finds there is a talent gap in a job category that captures software developers.

by Scott Ki

Full Story: http://idahobusinessreview.com/2013/03/18/idahos-software-labor-shortage-and-economic-development/

Read more: http://idahobusinessreview.com/2013/03/18/idahos-software-labor-shortage-and-economic-development/#ixzz2O56Jcr7s