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Today's Poll!City, others struggle to attract, retain IT personnel
Cletis Webb, an information systems support specialist with the city, inspects a laptop located in a Jefferson City Police Department vehicle. Not only are they responsible for the desktop computers used by city employees, but the iPads used by council members and the portables in police vehicles. Photo by Julie Smith.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
It’s a world of high tech gadgets and seemingly every office runs off a computer network, leaving one particular profession more in demand than ever: information technology.
Jefferson City officials have said attracting, and keeping, IT personnel is one of the most difficult employment tasks they have. The local pool of talent is shrinking, and both government entities and businesses are forced to recruit personnel from each other.
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Comments
JCLifer 3 months, 2 weeks ago
It is very hard to believe the city administrator cannot find droves of candidates who want to work in this little slice of heaven for the low wages the area pays and the closed-minded attitudes of the locals.
Realtors will tell you no one wants to relocate their families here because of the dismal schools and the lack of opportunities for their children. If there are any special-needs children, all deals are off for sure, because of the lack of any modern services and the archaic attitudes of the community toward the disabled.
Paroquet 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Notwithstanding the notable lack of any significant social scene for the age bracket most likely to produce the most up-to-date, driven, to say nothing of gifted IT professionals. In this respect, the city needs to do exactly as you suggest--become more progressive and do a better job keeping with the times.
JCLifer 3 months, 2 weeks ago
What no one seems to get, it isn't just a lack of social scene (drinking?), but alao people have to want to LIVE here. We have few amenities that young and moderately affluent folks enjoy, such as first rate broadband internet, Housing, shopping, worship, schools, continuing education, culture, nice parks, sidewalks, public transit, etc.
Jeff City is just a bare-bones poor town with extremely low wages. As the article provides many examples, it cannot compete with Columbia. Most people here are a step away from poverty. Even college degreed professionals are elligible for food stamps for their families.
Until wages are increased and quality of life for all is improved, this little town will continue to die. The first place to start is to raise wages and increase the availability of high wage jobs.
connor 3 months, 2 weeks ago
I don't know Lifer. I see your point but also I know of a number of qualified folks who don't mind less wages and want to continue to work and live here. The people who complain about having no one to hire won't even look at the residents they have available and who submit resumes.
I believe a big part of it is the elite of Jefferson City think they have the world to pick and choose from as well and somehow mistakenly think they are doing better if they can import someone for a position.
How many people, including myself actually couldn't even get an interview for a position here but would be hired sight unseen from an emailed resume to another state or community? I have seen it happen many times to friends and acquaintances over the years and as I said it even happened to me over a decade ago.
JCLifer 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Agree with you there, Conner. Local folks are not even considered for these positions. Instead of using the talent and committment we already have right here, the practice is to pay big bucks for an outside "consultant" who will only stay here a few years at this brief stepping stone.
With Nichols Career Center, Linn State Tech, and Lincoln U right here, there is absolutely no reason we cannot quickly grow a glut of candidates for these jobs if we had any sense.
The people in this town are their own worst enemies.
JCsleeper 3 months, 2 weeks ago
There are many extremely quailified RETIRED IT folks around here that would work part time or full time. They don't require health or life benefits, yet they are overlooked. Haven't seen many if any ads recently in the N/T or th city website looking for IT. Interesting that about 10 years ago, there was a consortium that enticed State Fair to set up a campus in JC to teach IT, but they were shot down and run out of town by powers that be at CBHE at Lincoln's be behest as a territorial thing. Sad. Patient, heal thyself.
JCLifer 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Wonder how Lincoln could run out State Fair? This is State Fair's regional service area. They should have told Lincoln to pound sand. Besides, Lincoln is too busy recruiting from Chicago, Detroit, Gary, Indiana, etc. Why would State Fair be a threat to Lincoln? They are both seeking different pool of students.
connor 3 months, 1 week ago
So true Lifer. Lincoln doesn't recruit from around here but still relies on the local students to fund the activities fees for the Freshmen and Sophomore recruits you mentioned. After the second year it isn't a big deal because all their recruits have dropped out.
JCsleeper 3 months, 1 week ago
The locals all started to go to State Fair because it was cheaper. Lincoln lost out on a lot of revenue, hence the complaints to CBHE.
GrumpyGus 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Pay drives IT. Once you compensate well enough you will bring in the types of people who drive the cultural change you are talking about. You can't change a city's culture without changing the types of people that inhabit it.
You will find reasearch study after research study that talks about org. culture, management, and etc. as the driving force behind employee attraction and retention. It is all Barbara Streisand. Pay is what attracts and retains the best and the brightest, the org. culture becomes better because you have the best and the brightest working for you.
At that point pay is a non-factor, that's why non-pay issues always top these lists in studies.
connor 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Except the one's who get paid well just buy a house in Columbia.
WTF 3 months, 1 week ago
Why do they do that connor?
Because of the city. Columbia is not full of religious right wing zealots. Those same zealots who have to stick their noses into everyone else's business. That may be one reason why this town is so backward.
connor 3 months, 1 week ago
Ya we have seen so many right wing zealots making new laws and restrictions around Jeff City and all.... Like the no smoking law. Wait. Columbia did that first? Oh. Ahhh maybe that was Cleftwing progressives. Then there was the ahhh what was there again?
TickledPink 3 months, 1 week ago
I know several IT people who have left JC to work/live in Columbia and the only reasons I've heard are money and they say Jeff has no decent shopping or restaurants and it's WAY too conservative. In other words, there's nothing to make them want to be here and until attitudes around here change, that's just the way it's going to be.
JCLifer 3 months, 1 week ago
And they keep looking to find a job in Columbia...
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