[Jim Sims]

"Our engineering positions are spot on with the industry averages (based on Salary.com). Every company in town offers excellent benefits."

"But there aren't enough people to fill the holes."

We'll then maybe that's an indication that industry averages are too low and that the benefits aren't really that excellent. It is always interesting how people and organizations extol the "marketplace" until it works against them. People usually try and behave in their own best interests (and desires) as they understand them; if getting an engineering education and working as an engineer is seen as a poor career choice then that will have to be addressed to increase the supply of engineers. Since we don't "naval press gang" people into careers and jobs in our society then the incentives and benefits of engineering must be increased and enhanced. The young people capable of becoming engineers are often optimizers - you have to make it worth their while to become engineers otherwise they'll intelligently make other choices.

Raise the cost of engineers and they'll be used more efficiently - I've seen and experienced too many examples of engineering resources wasted doing secretarial, clerical, drafting and technician work and sitting in airports waiting for bargain flights where they'll sit in economy class seats too cramped to do any work - can't even open the laptop!

We can recall the bad ole days when young engineers knew their place and would work extra hours for free to "pay their dues" but those days are gone with the Vemco drafting machines and HP35 calculators. The expectation to work as a professional cuts both ways: one works until the task is done (with due extra compensation or "comp time") but also if one gets way ahead with the work or things are little slow then it's okay to take the afternoon off and go skiing or help in your child's school class.

Cheers, Jim