Because the pace of adoption of the new technologies varies greatly across Europe, people who have the necessary skills are unemployed in one region while companies in another region cannot recruit competent staff. Governments are now reacting to these problems, but not necessarily in appropriate ways. Both Germany and Britain have announced during March 2000 that they will seek to import tens of thousands of ICT-skilled workers from outside the European Union in order to plug the gap. Ireland already announced similar actions. But most of these people will move into those areas of Europe that already have the highest ICT usage, the highest prosperity and growth, and the most stressed local infrastructures and worst shortages of affordable housing. They will come from countries and regions that have struggling economies and need their skills just as desperately as any country.