"Twenty years ago, when there was a labor shortage in the technology industry, technology firms routinely hired unqualified Americans and trained the hell out of them. Music and sociology majors were transformed into top-notch programmers. Now the only people who benefit from extensive training are H-1Bs," said Donna Conroy, director of brightfuturejobs.org, a white-collar lobbying organization, and a former tech pro. Conroy has been lobbying against expanding the H-1B visa hiring program for several years. (www.eweek.com). Check out the largest H-1B visa employers.

Technical skills stand out as the spot where the biggest chunk of chief information officers—25%—say their staff could most use improvement, in a survey released this week by recruiter Robert Half Technology. Project management skills run a close second, with 23% of the 1,400 CIOs polled indicating that's where they'd like to see their people improve.

The typical full-time computer professional last year averaged 42 hours, 24 minutes per week on the job—at the office, on the road and at home, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A CIO Insight analysis of U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows there was a loss of 75,000 women in the IT ranks from 2000 to 2006. Some people suggest women no longer find IT an attractive career because long hours on the job takes them away from their families.

The 2010 CIO is expected to be more of a leader than a manager. Tasks that previously burdened IT leaders—such as managing IT projects and infrastructure—will be easier to delegate, allowing the CIO to resurface as a strategist, relationship architect and leader, highly visible to business and upper management. (Courtesy eWeek)

Number 1 of the Top 100 CIOs. Yep, it's a woman.

Gillian Parrillo
The Sacramento Executive