Our work is being done in three phases.
In Phase 1 we synthesized data from academic, industry, NGO, and government publications to produce the first comprehensive profiles of IT employment in each of our study countries. Individual country reports as well as an international comparative report are currently being written.
During Phase II, which is nearing completion, we have been conducting case study research on IT firms to examine the following:
- how work gets done within the IT industry;
- whether firms are paying attention to aging workforces and if so, what they are doing about it;
- whether there are barriers in the industry that restrict access to employment for older workers and women;
- issues relating to labour shortages and strategies for filling potential gaps;
- issues relating to skill maintenance and enhancement and life long learning and;
- whether and how work in the IT industry influences the timing and sequencing of key life course events (e.g. marriage and parenthood) and transitions (e.g. school to work; job-exit to re-entry).
In the final and critical Phase III , we will assess whether and how well human resource management strategies and public policies are adapting to changes in the way work gets done in new economies and whether there are international differences in this regard.
Our policy research will be informed by two key principles.
- First, we are concerned with maintaining and enhancing the social well-being of employees.
- Second, we recognize the importance of productivity and competitiveness for firms and nations. Our research will be examining "best practices" in the IT industry and examine to what extent policies can reconcile these principles well. As part of this, we will also assess whether employment policies are sensitive to life course transitions and age diversity.
Research partners from business, government and NGO's have been involved from the very beginning of the research process. Representatives from these organizations have attended our planning meetings and have provided us with feedback on our reports and survey instrumentation. Our industry partners will help us to gain access to our case study firms in Phase II of this project.
Our relationship with the Software Human Resource Council (SHRC) has been particularly helpful. Besides advising us, they have given us access to their research resources, invited us to attend their research planning meetings, and provided us with their IT occupation classification scheme.
