Who is "the IT workforce"?: challenges facing policy makers, educators, management, and research

Despite over six decades of research on the role and definition of the IT workforce, there remain numerous, and often contradictory, definitions related to the identity of this group. The IT workforce is made up of IT professionals, computer scientists, software developers, and business professionals trained in MIS, as well as various occupational sub-categories in organizations including programmer, analyst, network specialist, and project manager, to name only a few. Despite this, some researchers, funding organizations, and practitioners refer to the "IT workforce" as if this term represents a homogeneous group of individuals that is clearly defined and understood. Our findings contradict this assumption, and raise a number of challenges for management, researchers, policy makers, educators, and funding agencies. We argue that a clear definition of the IT workforce would assist at all levels, and might bring some additional clarity to training, hiring, and retention issues.