COMPUTERWORLD (June 2, 1997) reported that there is no sign yet that there is heavy demand for COBOL programmers. One company that is involved in Year 2000 repairs is Computer Horizons. Of their 3,000 programmers, only 700 are involved in y2k work on a full-time basis.
Another specialist in selling repairs told the reporter, "If you had a service provider come in and say, 'sign on the bottom line, and it will cost you some money' to reserve a place on their year 2000 schedule, the customer would tell you to get lost."
All talk about the repairs' being well underway is just talk. The market says that hardly anyone is fixing code. If most companies that are vulnerable were fixing code, programmers' salaries would reflect this.
It's too late. Now. Today. It will not be fixed. Plan accordingly.
|