September 8, 2008

Workers Believe Telecom, Media, Tech Going Strong

By Monta Monaco Hernon

Since the debate about the soundness of the overall U.S. economy is heating up as the presidential elections approach, what better time to measure opinion specifically about the telecom, media and technology (TMT) sector?

What TelecomCareers found in a recent survey was that 70 percent of TMT workers believe the industry will grow or remain consistent while only 40 percent felt the same about the U.S. economy as a whole.

"The fact that survey respondents still see growth in telecom, media and technology implies that people are going to spend on things (in this industry)," said John Scarborough, TelecomCareers' vice president and general manager. "If I am going to decide on taking a vacation with the price of airfare or gas vs. staying home with family, maybe I am going to spend a little more on technology to make the staying home part bearable."

Interestingly, when the TMT industry was broken down into segments, respondents were most bullish on wireless. Forty percent said they saw the most growth potential in the mobile sector, compared to only 6 percent believing cable held the most promise.

"My impression is that there is a lot of expansion from an infrastructure standpoint happening in the mobile sector .... People see that it is constantly changing," Scarborough said, adding that they haven't yet deciphered why folks were significantly less confident about job opportunities in cable.

"There is so much more blur between telecom, cable and wireless. Sometimes it is difficult to draw distinctions ... (but the 6 percent) surprised me because cable companies are no longer just providing video," Scarborough said.

As for the job functions with the most potential, engineering project manager and software topped the list while the most important skill sets were technical, problem solving and leadership. As for how to find a new job, respondents said they rely most on in-person networking, job boards and employer Web sites.

"(The results) are confirming that at the end of the day, as a hiring manager myself, if given the option of finding someone through a job board or through a referral or a direct relationship I have made, I would prefer the referral and direct relationship," Scarborough said.

TelecomCareers has 200,000 members and 250 active clients that post jobs on the site and/or search resumes.  There generally are between 4,000 and 5,000 jobs posted on the site each day.

- Monta Monaco Hernon

Read more news and analysis on Communications Technology's Web site at http://www.cable360.net/ct/news/.