Asia Pacific: Hot bed for engineering jobs?

Apparently engineering haven is here, according to an excellent article by Ron Schneiderman for IEEE Signal Processing Magazine.

He noted that the Asia-Pacific region, or APAC, is home to more than 60 percent of the world's population and many of its largest and most successful high-tech companies. So it's not surprising that the region is a hotbed of recruiting for technical professionals--especially engineers.

“Intel announced in February that it planned to hire 1000 software engineers this year, many of whom will be in Asia,” he wrote, quoting Lori Weber, Intel's global hiring director who said that the company had already hired around 50 percent of its initial goal by recruiting a combination of experienced and college graduate candidates.

Without giving any numbers, Webersaid some of the newly-hired software engineers will be based in Shanghai and India. "We will continue hiring outside the United States as needed to support our presence in the overseas markets, which generate approximately three-fourths of Intel's revenues."

Shneiderman also noted that Microsoft likewise has more than 100 openings for mostly software engineers in China and almost that many slots for engineers in India.

“Apparently in response to an increasingly competitive environment in recruiting and retaining top technical talent (Google gave out 10 percent pay raises this year), Microsoft says that beginning in September it will offer raises in salary and stock awards to attract and retain staff. As CEO Steve Balmer wrote in an internal e-mail to Microsoft employees, "... the changes we're rolling out will help ensure Microsoft continues to be the place that top talent comes to change the world."

Check out more of the article at the magazine’s online site.

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Skilled workers, where art thou?

We need skilled workers and soon, according to the Human Resources Ministry. Bernama agency recently quoted its minister Datuk. Dr. S. Subramaniam as saying that.

We need skilled workers to compete with high-income Asian nations like Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore.

He said since about 3.3 million new jobs would be created under the Economic Transformation Programme (of which 60% would be in the high-skill category), there was an urgent need for skilled workers.

"Unfortunately, of the 9.8 million total workforce in the country, only 28% are employed in high-skilled jobs. Achieving the status of a developed nation requires the support of highly skilled and a competent workforce," he was quoted as saying in that report.

Dr Subramaniam said as an incentive for employers to send their employees for training under the 1Malaysia Training programme, the Government would reimburse 20% of the course fee into employers' levy accounts after completion of their training.

He said the Government had allocated RM500mil for upgrading skills of workers under the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011-2015).

On the same note, he said the National Minimum Wage Consultative Council Act would be tabled at the next Dewan Rakyat sitting.

The council would be able to coordinate the salary of workers in the private sector once the Act comes into force.