The quarterly unemployment rate for computer hardware engineers jumped dramatically from 6.9 to 9.0 percent, and averaged 7.0 for 2003. Computer software engineers saw their jobless rate fall slightly from 4.6 to 4.5 percent (5.2 for 2003); and computer programmers experienced a drop from 7.1 to 4.6 percent (6.4 for the year).

If it's all the outsourcing, how come the hardware engineers are doing worse and the software ones are doing better? You would think it would be the reverse. Maybe I have the wrong idea of what a hardware engineer is.

Something else that has to be remembered is that software has improved to the point where a lot of people can do their own work in house in certain areas. This is particularly true for web design. I don't know if this factor applies to the other categories discussed here. I do know that in the engineering/drafting/illustration field, my machine and I can do the work that would have taken about five people ten years ago. I'm sure this is true in many industries, and I expect it has a lot to do with the productivity growth that seems almost endless.

BTW, economic growth is ticking along nicely.