NEW YORK, July 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — DHI Group, Inc. (NYSE: DHX) announced today that Dice, its leading career hub for technology professionals, has released its Q2 Tech Job Report to provide clarity surrounding COVID-19’s impact on tech employment. While the beginning of the quarter put employers in an environment of uncertainty, June’s rise in job postings for nearly all key tech occupations and hubs suggests that employer confidence is returning.
At the start of Q2, unpredictability caused by the pandemic resulted in companies scaling back immediate hiring, causing declines in new job postings. However, when comparing June to May, there are large increases across the U.S., and in some cases, a return to levels that are consistent with pre-COVID numbers. The latest data suggests that companies are now starting to engage in long-term planning, which includes hiring crucial technologists to fill important tech roles.
Employers start to prioritize long-term planning: Need for technologists grows
Occupations
During the nation’s initial wave of lockdowns, companies had to make rapid decisions about where to focus tech resources. Largely, employers prioritized infrastructure, systems and security over new product development. Now, months later, employers appear to be confident enough to engage in long-term planning and see a need for talented technologists who can help build new products and maintain current tech stacks.
Throughout Q2, job postings for Java developers climbed 14% year-over-year, computer programmers notched upward 7% and DevOps engineers rose 3%. Demand for data engineers and Salesforce CRM developers also rose (5% and 10% YoY). Between May and June, job postings for key tech occupations increased significantly; software developers increased by 25%, systems engineers increased 24%, and application developers increased by 31%.
Skills
As the Coronavirus reached the U.S., employers had specific requirements for talent. Sysadmins and other technologists who could quickly adjust their workforces to operating from home offices were crucial.
DevOps (11%), Git (3%) and information security (2%) were prioritized by employers. Many other skills dipped year-over-year in the second quarter, which is understandable, considering the marketplace pressures exerted by COVID-19. However, when comparing the demand for skills between May and June, companies are experiencing greater stability towards the end of Q2.
“Job postings for product management rose by 28% between May and June, followed by Java at 20%, which suggests that, with increasing confidence, employers will feel more optimistic to invest in new product development to differentiate and capitalize on the changing landscape,” shared Michelle Marian, CMO of DHI Group, Inc., parent company of Dice.
Tech Resilience Remains: A look at state-level data
Comparing 2020’s Q2 to 2019 shows that many states have been resilient in the face of COVID-19. Postings in Virginia rose 11% year-over-year (YoY), driven by a 28% increase in the city of Arlington, benefiting from Amazon’s “HQ2” headquarters, in addition to the federal government and large businesses needing a constant stream of technologists. Idaho, Rhode Island and New Jersey showed an even larger growth in Q2 (23%, 22% and 14% YoY).
California tech job postings declined 28% in Q2 (YoY), however, the 140,000 tech jobs posted in California were still almost double any other state. Job postings also grew 20% between May and June, indicating that increased demand was returning.
“The tech industry’s resilience is evident, even in the very challenging conditions we are currently experiencing, which is a testament to the ongoing need for skilled and adaptable technologists. When looking at June’s job postings compared to May’s, we’re finding encouraging growth across areas of the U.S. despite the ongoing pandemic,” shared Art Zeile, CEO of DHI Group, Inc., parent company to Dice.
Emerging tech hub growth: A look at city-level data
At the city level, Q2 job posting data is more varied than state-level data. Largely, June job posting volumes drastically increased at the city level compared to May for all of the top 25 tech hubs. Established and emerging tech hubs did show growth year-over-year. Richmond, VA (33% YoY growth), Arlington, VA (28%), Austin, TX (16%), Raleigh, NC (9%) and Charlotte, NC (4%) have continued to grow, while established, larger tech hubs like New York (-32%) and San Francisco (-32%) experienced declines (although still created roughly 31,000 and 20,000 job postings, respectively). While some cities are beginning to return to job posting volumes that are consistent with pre-COVID-19 levels, others are growing their tech demand to new heights.
| Increases in City Tech Job Postings from May to June 2020Top 25 cities in Q2 by job posting volume | |
| City | MoM Change |
| 1 Pittsburgh, PA | 44% |
| 2 San Francisco, CA | 42% |
| 3 Boston, MA | 39% |
| 4 Denver, CO | 36% |
| 5 Atlanta, GA | 36% |
| 6 Philadelphia, PA | 35% |
| 7 Baltimore, MD | 34% |
| 8 Chicago, IL | 29% |
| 9 Phoenix, AZ | 27% |
| 10 New York, NY | 26% |
| 11 Charlotte, NC | 26% |
| 12 Los Angeles, CA | 24% |
| 13 Columbus, OH | 23% |
| 14 San Jose, CA | 23% |
| 15 Saint Louis, MO | 21% |
| 16 Tampa, FL | 19% |
| 17 Minneapolis, MN | 18% |
| 18 Seattle, WA | 17% |
| 19 Plano, TX | 16% |
| 20 San Diego, CA | 15% |
| 21 Austin, TX | 15% |
| 22 Raleigh, NC | 13% |
| 23 Dallas, TX | 13% |
| 24 Houston, TX | 12% |
| 25 Arlington, VA | 5% |
Full Report Access
- Employer Download: Dice Tech Job Report, Issue #3, Q2 2020
- Full Report for Press: Press can email dicemedia@dice.com for an ungated link to the full report for viewing or download
Read more on Dice Insights: Dice Tech Job Report: Q2 Offers Optimism for Tech Industry
