When was the last time you heard of a South African lawyer giving his client a refund after the lawyer failed to successfully defend his client in court? Has your doctor ever given you a refund after the treatment that he prescribed for you, failed to heal you? However, if the professional technical person that one calls to repair some part of a manufacturing plant fails to resolve the problem, other than a minimum quoting fee, an engineer would generally not get paid for ‘failing to fix the problem’.
Then, to add economic insult to the initial unmerited injury, our esteemed co-professionals in these (and other) professions are remunerated at considerably higher rates than engineers. I have yet to find a lawyer who can convince me of the need for this variance. This discrepancy between the remuneration packages is not unique to South Africa. By way of example, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov) reports that US lawyers earn approximately 25% more than engineers.
So if, generally, companies do not pay engineers the same salaries as other professionals, then pray tell, "Why is anybody surprised that there is a global shortage of engineers?"
Do not forget to add to the equation, countless television programmes that glamourise the legal and medical fraternities. Let us face facts. When did you last see a television drama series that glamourised the job of a mechanical technician in a mine?
From a South African perspective, (and also the perspective of other developing countries eg, India), many of our control and instrumentation engineers are being 'poached' by countries that are prepared to pay higher wages for technical skills. One just has to think of the hoards of South African refinery artisans and engineers currently employed in the Persian Gulf.
So what is the solution? I suggest, ‘Pay engineers more!’ If one throws enough money at a shortage of resources, the problem will eventually go away. It is simple supply and demand economics. Businesses executives need to stop their incessant whining about the shortage of skilled technical staff. Instead, they need to pay their artisans, technicians, technologists and engineers salaries that are commensurate with their responsibilities. These salaries need to be equitable with other registered professionals eg, the legal and accounting officers in these same firms.
Mark my words. As long as this discrepancy in salaries exists, the ‘engineering skills shortage’ will continue.
Schneider Electric’s next generation UPS Schneider Electric South Africa
News & events
Schneider Electric has launched the new Galaxy VXL – a highly efficient, compact, modular, scalable and redundant 500-1250 kW (400V) 3-phase uninterruptible power supply, complete with enhanced cybersecurity, software and safety features.
Read more...Fuchs Lubricants sails strong into 2025
News & events
The successful completion of a major investment programme has significantly increased the growth potential of Fuchs Lubricants South Africa.
Read more...WearCheck launches advanced thermography course
News & events
WearCheck recently launched a new training course, InfraFocus to upskill users of thermographic cameras. This highlights the best ways to capture thermographic imagery for use in a condition monitoring programme.
Read more...SKF empowers employees SKF South Africa
News & events
The cornerstone to SKF’s success as a global leader in premium bearing products and rotating technology is an unwavering commitment to investing in its valued employees. Tsholofelo Choma, who now proudly holds the position of quality environmental health and safety (QEHS) officer, exemplifies SKF’s employee-centricity ethos.
Read more...From the editor's desk: A new disruption Technews Publishing
News & events
Just when we thought we were getting to grips with ChatGPT, another large language model is causing havoc. This time it’s a Chinese one called DeepSeek, which was released on 20 January 2025 and on ...
Read more...Festo celebrates its centenary Festo
News & events
Creating added customer value through innovation has been the driving force behind the family-owned company from the beginning and remains the key to Festo’s success today. The company’s anniversary is being celebrated with employees, customers and partners worldwide throughout the year.
Read more...Motion technology for all types of automation Bearing Man Group T/A BMG
News & events Electrical switching & drive systems & components
BMG has been appointed by The Timken Company as a distributor in southern Africa for the Rollon linear motion guidance system.
Read more...Epiroc and ABB collaborate on underground trolley solutions
News & events
Epiroc and ABB have signed a MoU based on underground trolley equipment to collaborate on joint, comprehensive and integrated electrification solutions for the mining industry to increase productivity and achieve decarbonisation targets.
printer friendly version