>Ah, but this assumes online job listings at third-party job sites are significant indicators for this segment. They may be, I don't know, but it's not something that's obvious either way. It also assumes that the number of jobs in other segments is not down, something I don't know, and I bet you don't know either. We'd have to research that.
>
>Are the numbers of jobs offered on *this* site down? If it's down (amd I'm not saying it's not) is it down significantly from 1Q/2000 which can be called the max bubble point for the industry? Moreover is it down relative to the software development industry as a whole? If so, how much?
>
>I don't see it.
>
>Point being is the truth of the matter is a lot deeper than doing a simple search in one source like Dice and Monster, and then applying classic linear thinking to draw conclusions.
>
>I know this: if I'm a VFP person developer, and I have a good project to staff, Dice.com and Monster.com are last resorts. I've been a part of dozens of projects over the past few years, big and small, and virtually all people thereon are there as a result of referrals, or from recruiters who may themselves then scour Dice.com and Monster.com. I don't know. I know this: If people need to come from Dice or Monster, we're assumed in bad shape until proved otherwise. We're bottom feeding at that point.
>
>I get calls from fox people and recruiters staffing serious projects all the time. The frequency and quality of these offerings does not seem to be down. But I'm just one data point, so that's just anectdotal evidence
>
>Now will .NET jobs greatly outnumber VFP jobs? Absolutely. If you get work from Dice and Monster that's something to think about. If, on the other hand, you get your work because you have a good name as a result of a track record of delivering good value, then that's much less of an issue.
>
>So in closing, if you get work from Dice and Monster maybe VFP isn't the best vehicle. The best vehicle on Dice and Monster at the moment is clearly Java. It may become .NET, and we could make sensible bets on that, but not for a while.
>
>I see no evidence that things are down for VFP compared to industry average. Moreover, the situation outside the USA, Germany aside, seems positively buoyant.

does that include Canada?