Not a shortage of workers, but a shortage of workers for the wage involved

Many maintain that the United States suffers from a shortage of skilled technology workers and that we need overseas help. The National Review and The Atlantic, however, report just the opposite. My take is that there are plenty of American workers in any industry, at any time, just as eager to work as anyone in India, Mexico, or Pakistan. The difference is that an American cannot work for an Indian wage.

The graphic below shows a job listing on Guru.com. An American employer, obviously seeing the low wages accepted by foreigners, now wants to employ someone for less than the Federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. He’d like it even better, of course, if you worked for his low budget figure of $1.00 an hour.

I am sure this employer wants his business respected, his customers well treated, and his growth to be substantial. In all aspects I am sure he wants his business thought of as professional. But how professional is this? How can you pay someone less than McDonalds or WalMart while maintaining respect toward your workers? At a wage below the poverty level? That pay might help you in Bangalore, but it is worthless in America.

When I wrote about telecom I met many people in the computer and technology fields. Now that I freelance, I meet many writers. There’s no shortage of either. What is rare? Employers willing to pay a living wage. That’s the real shortage.

Update: Facebook admits it has no evidence that there’s a shortage of American tech workers (external link)