PGTS Journal Edition 0026
November, 2004

Back On Deck

After a long silence, I have decided to resurrect this publication. First of all because it is proof of a concept. About three years ago, I reasoned that a website might be a good way to promote myself and find some work. That surmise was more or less correct, it just took three years to eventuate. The reason it took so long? Well read some of the articles on this site and you will discover why. (A good place to start is Getting Listed In The Search Engines).

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

Of course one of the reasons, I have found it difficult for 2001-2003 has been the most extraordinary downturn in the Computing and IT sector. Easily the worst that I have ever seen. And I have seen quite a few! Almost as extraordinary as the actual downturn has been the general silence from the mainstream media about this event. There even some ministers for DCITA talking about "IT skills shortages".

Now it seems that the employment market for IT professionals may be starting to warm up a little. Not that it will boil over furiously as it did in the amazing nineties ... But I do detect a slight rise in the overall temperature of the water. This means that we might even see a genuine skills shortage in the next few quarters as various corporations start to bid for skilled labour. Which brings up another topic that the mainstream media just doesn't seem to discuss, the unprecedented level of domestic debt in Australia. If wages for skilled labour start to trend upwards this will force the Reserve Bank to do what they should have done at least a year ago, namely to raise interest rates. And when they do, there is probably going to be a considerable amount of commotion.

This month poet and historian Dan Byrnes has contributed an article entitled Clockwork Orange Cake. Dan has been the victim of a vicious and cowardly assault. And here he writes about his unfortunate experience.