We live in an age when people can use a smartphone to book an airline flight and then surf the Internet while in the air. That's why it comes as a surprise that there are fewer technical workers as a percentage of the U.S. labor force than there were a decade ago. Workers in fields like software design, computer support and architecture now account for 4.9% of the labor force, down from 5.3% in 2000, the Wall Street Journal reports this morning. The findings are based on a study conducted by a nonprofit demographics research group.
This is a sharp reversal of a 50-year trend that saw the proportion of so-called "knowledge workers" increase every 10 years. The change is at least partly attributable to the decline of manufacturing. Manufacturing facilities, many of which have been moved overseas, used to employ a large amount of engineers to assist in the production process, the Journal writes. So, while jobs in software design and applied mathematics have increased, there are fewer mechanical engineers than there were a decade ago.
Another striking, if not entirely surprising, trend is that the percentage of foreign-born technical workers in the U.S. doubled from 10.8% in 1990 to 20.7% in 2010. Meanwhile, it appears that America is training fewer young people in technical fields. The number of such workers under the age of 35 declined by 1% over the last decade, while those over the age of 55 increased by 32%. (WSJ)
Revolution (FINS)
Microsoft Vice President Ali Faramawy talks with FINS about seeing his homeland of Egypt erupt in revolution, having a key employee kidnapped in Libya, and why it's hard to take the weekend off when you work in the Middle East.
What They Know (WSJ)
Google has been caught tracking Web browsing on iPhones despite their users' intention to block such monitoring. The search giant, along with several advertising companies, deployed code to bypass the privacy settings of the Apple's Safari browser on both iPhones and desktop computers.
Overturned (DealBook)
The former Goldman Sachs computer programmer serving an eight-year prison sentence for stealing code has had his conviction overturned on appeal. Sergey Aleynikov was convicted of uploading source code pertaining to Goldman's high-frequency trading business.
City of Dreams (Bloomberg Businessweek)
Silicon Valley's invasion of New York City is good news for software engineers. Facebook is building a core team of 20 there; Twitter, with 30 staffers in New York, plans to double that number this year; and Zynga will be hiring for the Manhattan-based gaming start-up it acquired last year.
Star Power (FINS via Venture Capital Dispatch)
Lady Gaga's social media team has raised $4.5 million to fund their start-up The Backplane. The CEO says the company is already bringing in revenue, and that some of the money will go toward hiring high-level executive talent.
Raise Up (TechCrunch)
Foxconn, the Chinese electronics manufacturer, said it will increase pay for its employees. Junior level workers will now make $290 a month, double what they made three years ago. The company has come under fire for its labor conditions.
Another One Down (DealBook)
Yet another technology stock analyst has been arrested in the government's campaign against insider trading on Wall Street. The latest of the accused is John Kinnucan, an Oregon man who rebuffed an offer from FBI agents to become an informant.
New Money (Gainesville Sun)
Ohio-based technology and logistics company R+L Carriers will receive $1.26 million in tax incentives in exchange for bringing 180 jobs to the Gainesville, Fla. area. The company will provide software development and logistics services for trucking and freight operations.
Buzz Around the Office
A mammoth rope swing.
List of the Day: How to Network
Keep these tips in mind for networking effectively.
1.Solicit info about your "offline" reputation.
2.You can never say "thank you" too often.
3.Have a short statement that says exactly what you want.
(Source: Glassdoor.com)
