ICT Worker Database?

The Inquirer reports that the CICT, through Commr. Dondi Mapa, will set up an ICT Worker Database. The news item goes on to say:

The profiles of those registered in the database will be used for surveying purposes, he said.

To build up the database, ICT workers who register at the website will be encouraged to ask other ICT workers to join in a manner similar to that found in social networking sites such as Friendster, Mapa added.

Registered users earn points when those they refer also register in the database. Points can then be redeemed for prizes such as mobile phones and other electronic gadgets, the official said. I think the proposed site raises a variety of issues foremost of which relates to relevance. Who are ICT workers and why do we need to keep track of them? It’s implied that the CICT wants to make sure that these folks are properly tallied up for the President’s jobs creation target of 1 million for the ICT industry by 2010. But will the site do a good job of tracking these workers?

I’m under the impression that it’s a promotional site something akin to pyramiding. People share valuable and personal information in exchange for a chance to win prizes? It’s akin to pyramiding because people’s motivation isn’t to share information or network but to recruit for gain.

I’m not sure what’s in the site but Commr. Mapa must ensure that the motivation for people to visit the site is greater than the need to win prizes. The site must cater to the needs of ICT workers — that is, the need for jobs or networking. Otherwise, there’s no incentive to visit and absent that, the site won’t have any real impact or value.

There’s the privacy issue as well. Commr. Mapa is up-front in saying that the database will be mined. Of course, the devil’s in the details and hopefully the site’s privacy policy will protect the registrants’ right to informational privacy. Otherwise, the database can be used by the ICT industry as a point of control whereby industry players share evaluative information on prospective employees without the latter’s knowledge or consent. If you keep updating your employment record on-line, it can create an employment history. Such information can be used as a virtual blacklist. (Sorry for the paranoia.)

What’s more likely is that the sponsors will want access to the database as a marketing or promotional tool. I’d like to run a test with a special purpose GMail and GSM account that will register at the site and see how many spam messages (on email and text) that will be received. These are potential disincentives to participate and must be handled carefully.

One of the more basic concerns is the determination who fits the description of an “ICT Worker.” Software engineers fit the bill but do we include people working in the transcription and call-center industries. Are they ICT workers or ICT-enabled workers? If they’re the latter, then anyone who uses ICT is an ICT-enabled worker. For that matter, there’s millions of us already. On top of that, people who aren’t ICT workers at all might sign up just for the prizes. If so, then the data culled from the site might not be accurate. The prizes provide an incentive to misrepresent one’s self as an ICT worker.

It should also be remembered that for every 100 applicants for call center jobs, only 5 are trained and 3 are hired. This means that if all the potential “ICT workers” swamp the site, only about 5% - 10% might actually be employed. Again, this affects the site’s usefulness as a credible information source.

The bottom line is this: if the government wants credible information on the ICT industry, there might be a better way to get it than through this site.