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Top 10 U.S. Cities Expanding Tech Teams in 2021

By Dawn Kawamoto

As the nation slowly emerges from the depths of Covid-19 when unemployment skyrocketed to over 14% at the start of the pandemic to hovering around 6% today, look to these top 10 U.S. cities for major tech team expansion, according to a recent survey by Robert Half Technology.

Of the 2,800 technology leaders surveyed by Robert Half Technology, 54% said they expect to increase the size of their tech teams in 2021. Across the nation, however, tech team expansion will be even greater in these 10 major U.S. cities, according to the survey.

And the top technical skills tech leaders have an immediate need to fill include cybersecurity, cloud, data or database management, network administration and web design.

MIAMI

What is your company’s plan for hiring full-time employees in 2021?

  • Expanding tech team size – 74%
  • Maintaining tech team size – 24%
  • Freezing tech team size – 1%
  • Reducing tech team size – 1%
[Source: Robert Half Technology]

“More and more companies are moving to South Florida, particularly in the banking and financial services areas. With that comes greater demand for tech talent, and we’ve always been one of the bigger tech hubs in the country,” Matt Bourdeau, district president for Robert Half, told IEEE-USA InSight. “The “new normal” has provided workers with the ability to work remotely and many are living in the Miami area but could be working for companies elsewhere. To keep top talent, companies are having to compete and we’re seeing salaries increasing across the board.”

Top 3 In-Demand Skill Sets in Miami

  • Cybersecurity
  • Network engineering and administration
  • Applications development

Bourdeau noted cybersecurity has been a top area of demand that always carries a premium, especially as many companies have moved to a remote setting. And as companies continue to expand their technology offerings, they also need engineers and administrators to get their technology up and running properly, he added.

As for applications development, it was in high demand even before the pandemic struck, Bourdeau observed.

“Companies were looking at ways to optimize efficiencies.  That hasn’t changed and we’re always seeing demand for app developers,” he said.


DETROIT

What is your company’s plan for hiring full-time employees in 2021?

  • Expanding tech team size – 73%
  • Maintaining tech team size – 23%
  • Freezing tech team size – 2%
  • Reducing tech team size – 2%
[Source: Robert Half Technology]

“The Detroit market is hot right now. Everyone is hiring and it’s very competitive for the talent.  It’s a job seekers market,” said Danielle Vanstone, branch manager for Robert Half Technology’s Detroit office.

Top 3 In-Demand Skill Sets in Detroit

  • Cloud
  • Cybersecurity
  • Web Development, Web Design

“I think creative, marketing & Web design focus areas have been surging lately after initial cutbacks when the pandemic began. In many cases, entire departments were void of full staff to focus on critical business infrastructure and keep revenue in the green. More resources are now readily available for the purpose of general aesthetics, refresh web and e-presence, and UI/UX than in 2020,” Vanstone said, adding, “Companies are prioritizing eCommerce in 2021.”


DALLAS

What is your company’s plan for hiring full-time employees in 2021?

  • Expanding tech team size – 69%
  • Maintaining tech team size – 26%
  • Freezing tech team size – 5%
  • Reducing tech team size – 0%
[Source: Robert Half Technology]

“We continue to see companies moving their headquarters to Dallas. When they get here, or even before, we see an increase in the hiring of new talent within the market. And with more IT companies coming to Texas, we have seen the IT talent follow. For that reason, we are now seeing companies out of state trying to tap into Dallas talent, looking to access skills they can’t find in their markets,” Thomas Vick, regional vice president for Robert Half, told IEEE-USA InSight.

Top 3 In-Demand Skill Sets in Dallas

  • Cybersecurity
  • Cloud
  • Data, Database Management

“In terms of the cloud experience, we’re seeing this increase more and more as companies are moving everything to the cloud. It eliminates the additional costs that comes with on premises storage, and as more companies become confident in the security and reliability of cloud, they are moving in that direction,” Vick said.


SEATTLE

What is your company’s plan for hiring full-time employees in 2021?

  • Expanding tech team size – 65%
  • Maintaining tech team size – 32%
  • Freezing tech team size – 2%
  • Reducing tech team size – 1%
[Source: Robert Half Technology]

“IT hiring is strong in Seattle due to the size of the technology economy pre-pandemic. This market knows the immense growth of technology initiatives companies will undertake as funds loosen, and companies want to be poised to meet market demand as the recovery continues,” said Megan Slabinski, district president of Robert Half.

Top 3 In-Demand Skill Sets in Seattle

  • Cybersecurity
  • Cloud
  • Data, Database Management

“Data is a company’s best resource to acquire new and retain existing customers but keeping that data safe is an utmost priority for reputation. Additionally, moving more applications to the cloud allows organizations to spend more time focused on strategic IT initiatives that propel growth,” Slabinski noted.


HOUSTON

What is your company’s plan for hiring full-time employees in 2021?

  • Expanding tech team size – 62%
  • Maintaining tech team size – 35%
  • Freezing tech team size – 2%
  • Reducing tech team size – 1%
[Source: Robert Half Technology]

“Houston was impacted a little differently than other markets given the exposure to oil and gas markets. With the pandemic and the issues related to these industries in 2020, it is not a surprise to see a bounce back like we are seeing now in Houston across multiple industries,” said Robert Vaughn, regional vice president of Robert Half. “There definitely is a high demand for and shortage of talent, which is also why clients have continued to embrace remote workers.”

Top 3 In-Demand Skill Sets in Houston

  • Data, Database Management
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cloud

“All three of these skill sets are tied together,” Vaughn said. “Security has to continue to evolve and enhance and companies have no choice but to advance their IT capabilities, and when doing so they must continue to protect the environments they have built, and the data used to support the business.”

He added that the cloud was and will continue to be the future for hosting IT environments and based on the way that the technology is headed, companies have no choice but to continue to adopt and implement cloud-related technologies.


LOS ANGELES

What is your company’s plan for hiring full-time employees in 2021?

  • Expanding tech team size – 62%
  • Maintaining tech team size – 33%
  • Freezing tech team size – 4%
  • Reducing tech team size – 1%
[Source: Robert Half Technology]

“The LA economy is very diversified. The harmful economic effects brought on by the pandemic were spread out across many industries, though, of course, some were more adversely impacted than others. Los Angeles’ large tech presence was relatively unharmed due to the steady demand for IT professionals across the board,” said Jon Swift, regional vice president for Robert Half in Los Angeles.

Top 3 In-Demand Skill Sets  in Los Angeles

  • Cloud
  • Data, Database Management
  • Cybersecurity

Database management, web development and design are also among the most in-demand skill sets as companies focus on digitizing the customer experience, Swift said, adding that Cloud-related skill sets are in high demand as companies move legacy systems away from on-premises systems to cloud environments that allow for greater flexibility, and the ability to scale quickly.

As for cybersecurity, Swift noted it is and will continue to be a high in-demand area given the rise in frequency of cyber-attacks that can affect any company at any time.


NEW YORK

What is your company’s plan for hiring full-time employees in 2021?

  • Expanding tech team size – 62%
  • Maintaining tech team size – 33%
  • Freezing tech team size – 5%
  • Reducing tech team size – 0%
[Source: Robert Half Technology]

“New York City was hit harder than most cities early on in the pandemic. Many of our client companies paused hiring efforts and have only recently opened up the floodgates again to hire once again. We are seeing a strong permanent hire market, which is a direct effect of a long-lasting hiring freeze being lifted – NYC residents relocating to other states has also opened up more IT job opportunities,” said Jason Deneu, a Robert Half Technology branch manager in Midtown New York City.

Top 3 In-Demand Skill Sets in New York

  • Cloud
  • Desktop Support
  • Cybersecurity

“Desktop support has long been one of the top skill sets in demand in New York. Migrations, upgrades and integrations appear to be at a multi-year high, at least from our perspective,” Deneu said. “It seems like every hiring manager we speak with has a technical initiative planned. It’s a good time to be in IT in NYC.”


ATLANTA

What is your company’s plan for hiring full-time employees in 2021?

  • Expanding tech team size – 61%
  • Maintaining tech team size – 39%
  • Freezing tech team size – 0%
  • Reducing tech team size – 0%
[Source: Robert Half Technology]

“Atlanta is the tech capital of the Southeast and three things are the main contributors to the strong demand for IT talent here,” said David Sheehan, branch manager of Robert Half Technology in Atlanta.

He cited such contributors as the recent expansion commitments from Microsoft, Google, Airbnb and Apple in Atlanta, a growing interest among companies to have operations in Atlanta to attract employees with its low cost of living and strong cultural scene, and the push towards remote work that allows out-of-state companies to hire tech talent in Atlanta.

“The push towards remote work has incentivized companies in higher wage areas, like California and New York, to tap Atlanta for equally skilled talent at a more completive price due to the highly skilled talent pool thanks to the outstanding tech programs at local universities,” Sheehan said.

Top 3 In-Demand Skill Sets in Atlanta

  • Cloud
  • Cybersecurity
  • Data, Database Management

“There are huge trend shifts in database management that are accelerated by continued investment in understanding and utilization of companies’ data give them insight into performance, customer trends, efficiency, new opportunities, and the list goes on,” Sheehan said. “All the large companies in Atlanta are taking advantage of these technologies to some degree, and many smaller companies are utilizing the services of companies that specialize in providing and customizing these tools.”


CINCINNATI

What is your company’s plan for hiring full-time employees in 2021?

  • Expanding tech team size – 56%
  • Maintaining tech team size – 32%
  • Freezing tech team size – 11%
  • Reducing tech team size – 1%
[Source: Robert Half Technology]

“As we enter back into a more candidate-driven job market, the process is speeding up. IT professionals can be selective, as many are receiving multiple offers, but the onus is really on the organization to act fast, so they aren’t losing out on tap talent in the market,” said Chuck Wirtz, branch manager for Robert Half Technology in Cincinnati.

Top 3 In-Demand Skill Sets in Cincinnati

  • Cloud
  • Cybersecurity
  • Data, Database Management

“In Cincinnati, we have a lot of well-established companies that have been in business for a long time. These companies are now looking to update and revamp to a more modern cloud-based experience and need the talent to do so,” Wirtz said.


WASHINGTON, D.C.

What is your company’s plan for hiring full-time employees in 2021?

  • Expanding tech team size – 56%
  • Maintaining tech team size – 38%
  • Freezing tech team size – 5%
  • Reducing tech team size – 1%
[Source: Robert Half Technology]

“D.C. is full of innovative companies, startups and opportunity for talent, making it a tight candidate market for companies looking for IT talent for their teams,” said Matt Deneroff, branch manager for Robert Half Technology in Washington, D.C.

Top 3 In-Demand Skill Sets in Washington, D.C.

  • Data, Database Management
  • Cloud
  • Cybersecurity

“As has been the case for a while, security professionals are at a premium for organizations, especially as threats became more of an issue. There continues to be a shortage of this talent as needs increase across the board,” Deneroff said.


Dawn Kawamoto is a freelance writer and editor. She is an award-winning journalist who has written and edited technology, management, leadership, career, finance, and innovation stories for such publications as CNET’s News.comInformationWeekTheStreet.com, AOL’s DailyFinanceThe Motley FoolDice.com and Dark Reading.

 

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Dawn Kawamoto

Dawn Kawamoto is a freelance writer and editor. She is an award-winning journalist who has written and edited technology, management, leadership, career, finance, and innovation stories for such publications as CNET’s News.com, InformationWeek, TheStreet.com, AOL’s DailyFinance, The Motley Fool, Dice.com and Dark Reading.

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