After a slow start to the year, most indicators are starting to show that demand for technology workers is rising across all industry sectors in the U.S.
New analysis by CompTIA shows employers nationwide accelerating their hiring of tech workers and expanding their search for new tech talent in March 2024.
Employers added 191,000 new job postings for tech positions, 8,000 more than in February and the highest since August 2023. Software developers and IT support specialists make up most openings, with jobs in artificial intelligence (AI), or for roles that require AI skills, accounting for 41% of postings.
Business leaders at companies posting these roles recognize the immense value the technology presents as both a tool for internal transformation and a competitive advantage.
Hiring managers are finding the AI roles tough to fill. Of 1,000 Human Resources leaders hiring for software engineering, data analytics and user experience (UX) roles recently surveyed, 69% say it’s more challenging to hire people with adequate AI skills compared to those in traditionally hard-to-hire roles in data analytics, data sciences, software engineering and UX design.
And it’s likely to continue to be challenging.
If you’re searching for a job in tech, highlighting specific skills specific to AI such as machine learning, predictive analytics, or AI-driven customer segmentation on your resume demonstrates “forward thinking, an ability to adapt to new technologies, and a commitment to continuous learning,” career experts say. All which make you attractive to employers.
Hiring for AI Roles in Pittsburgh
Let's take a look at the market for tech talent in the region where I am based – Pittsburgh, which is the birthplace of AI. Did you know that AI got its start here? Two professors at Carnegie Mellon invented AI in the 1950s. Then and now Pittsburgh is home to some prestigious AI programs, such as Carnegie Mellon’s, that are driving innovation.
Pittsburgh is quietly transforming into a tech powerhouse, says Kraig Kleeman, Founder and CEO of The New Workforce. In addition to the Fortune 500 companies that have headquarters here – PNC Financial Services, PPG Industries, Wesco International, U.S. Steel, Alcoa and Dick’s Sporting Goods, to name a few – some of the largest players in the tech industry – Apple, Facebook, Google, IBM and Uber, among others have offices in Pittsburgh.
"Pittsburgh's focus on AI and robotics has made it a tech innovation hub," says Kleeman.
Other ways that Pittsburgh stands out, according to CBRE’s 2023 Scoring Tech Talent report.
- The region has the third-largest tech talent workforce (41,680) among small markets. (A small market is defined as having a tech talent labor pool of fewer than 50,000 workers. Lower labor and operation costs make small markets attractive to employers. Other small markets are Cleveland and Cincinnati in Ohio and Madison in Wisconsin.)
- Women accounted for 33.3% of Pittsburgh’s 5,368 tech degree graduates in 2021, the highest percentage among the top 50 U.S. markets.
- Pittsburgh’s population of people in their 30s increased by 10.3% from 2016 to 2021, the 14th-largest gain among small markets. It also saw the eighth-largest increase in residents in their 30s with college degrees (21.9%) among small markets during the same time.
"Despite economic obstacles earlier this year, technology continues to thrive and maintain its competitiveness not only nationwide but specifically in Pittsburgh," says Michael Stuart, Vice President at CBRE in Pittsburgh. "The important role Pittsburgh’s prominent universities and highly skilled tech talent workforce play in AI and other leading technologies, will undoubtedly attract further growth of both technology firms and skilled tech workers for the foreseeable future. Our affordable living and business operating costs are also a positive growth factor."
Interested in continuing this conversation about the tech talent market in Pittsburgh?
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