Paving the Way for IT Jobs

In recent times, the information technology sector has emerged as a major bright spot for the local economy in Greater Philadelphia.

Given the remarkable job growth potential for IT professionals around the country, Greater Philadelphia is now well-positioned to serve as the hotbed of opportunity for the region’s IT workforce.  

Last year, the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia in partnership with the US Economic Administration and the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, produced a comprehensive research report to assess the growing opportunities for IT professionals in the region.

Projections show that over the next 10 years, 26,000 to 44,000 new job openings in IT would take place in Greater Philadelphia. If they are willing to be business friendly and lower taxes this could easily take place.

Key Aspects of the IT Opportunity in Philadelphia

  • Job opportunities in the IT sector in Greater Philadelphia are growing, but the employers are constrained due to a shortage of candidates with cutting-edge IT skills.
  • With rapidly changing technology, IT employers are looking for qualified workers who have the ability to upskill continuously, adapt to their evolving IT needs, and solve problems.
  • Many tech occupations now offer career on-ramps for middle-skilled workers (one-third of the IT workforce in Greater Philadelphia holds less than a bachelor’s degree).
  • There is a significant lack of understanding about the wide range of jobs, industries and career pathways in the field of IT among residents in the region (from K-12 students to experienced adults).
  • The IT training and education system in Greater Philadelphia is wide-ranging, but can be fine-tuned further to match with the growing regional IT market needs.

Rising Demand from Companies  

Software developers currently rank among the most sought-after technology professionals in Philadelphia. The city has made to the list of top 10 IT job producers in the country in the 2018 IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report.

CIOs in Philadelphia are planning to add new team members in order to get new, mission-critical IT projects off the ground.

There is a rising demand for software programmers, data security experts, and IT professionals in network and telecommunication who can help with upgrading software and hardware across the organization.

While it can be challenging for smaller IT companies in the city to match the kind of salaries offered at bigger firms, they are trying to attract top talent by offering a more flexible work culture, options to work from remote locations, and substantial performance-linked bonuses.

Jobs for IT Professionals across the Spectrum

Employers report a growing need for more back-end developers who are responsible for the data and IT infrastructure, and having skills such as Java and .NET. Companies increasingly seek full-stack developers who have both front-end and back-end expertise.

IT professionals have much more to look forward to if they want to look beyond software development in Philadelphia.

There is a high demand for DevOps engineers, who bridge the gap between systems operations and software development. There is a talent crunch for Quality Assurance (QA) analysts, information security professionals, and data scientists.

New job roles are emerging in cutting-edge areas such as cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Role of Staffing Agencies

Experienced staffing companies can play a vital role in turning this IT advantage of Greater Philadelphia to turbo-charge economic growth.

Operating as a bridge between the employers looking for top talent and qualified IT professionals who are in need of search assistance and career guidance, these recruiting experts can help transform the region’s tech economy.