The economic slowdown is actually a blessing for a lucky few. And we’re not just talking about repo men, dotcom yard sale shoppers and loan sharks. Greg DeFronzo, MIS director at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, says that as much as he’d like to see the economy turn around, staffing is much easier at his agency when the Nasdaq is shaky.The numbers bear him out. In more prosperous times, the yearly turnover rate among DeFronzo’s IS group rose as high as 35 percent. Early this year, that churn fell to 4 percent. “The government sector is always the opposite of the normal curve, since we don’t pay market rate salaries,” DeFronzo explains. In boom cycles, like the one at the end of the past century, staffers run off to the private sector to rake in the big bucks. But when the stock markets crater and layoffs begin, DeFronzo’s phone starts ringing with people calling in search of the stability offered by public sector jobs. “I had a bunch of people last summer who left to join dotcoms. Now some of those people have called to see if they could get their jobs back,” he says. No dice; the positions were already filled. Growing private sector companies can likewise benefit in their hiring efforts. “Overall there’s still a shortage of technical people in this job market, but it seems like this year it’s getting a bit easier” to fill positions opened by corporate growth, says QVC CIO John Link. Link cites not only dotcom fallout but also layoffs among IT consulting companies as the reason more qualified IT workers are floating around. Related content Opinion 5 hard questions every IT leader must answer Strong leadership is vital to IT success — and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Continual self-reflection is essential for knowing whether it’s time to restructure your approach to leading IT. By Thornton May Mar 28, 2023 5 mins Business IT Alignment IT Leadership Feature CIOs address the impact of hybrid work Assessing how some of the most progressive CIOs strive to provide both technological and emotional support for a dispersed workforce. By Pat Brans Mar 28, 2023 8 mins CIO Remote Work Employee Experience BrandPost Smart UPS Connectivity: what it is and why you need it By Veronica Lew Mar 27, 2023 4 mins Remote Access BrandPost Huawei’s F5G rollout plan signals new wave of green technology and digital transformation At MWC, Gu Yunbo, President of Huawei’s Enterprise Optical Business Domain, sat down with CIO to discuss a raft of new F5G launches, and what they mean for enterprise computing. By Peter Kirwan Mar 27, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe