Is Chicago a cybercity on the rise? You might not think so, given the fact local tech leader Motorola announced plans last spring to cut 2,600 jobs, bringing the total number of layoffs it's suffered to more than 10,000 over 12 months. At the same time, the company said it would sell the cell phone business that has been its flagship operation for more than a decade. Not a good sign.
Still, it may be too early to panic. Shannon Byrnes Weaver, Branch Manager of IT recruiter Sapphire Technologies' Chicago office, says the job market is Chicago "is pretty strong right now." Why? "Things have picked up a bit over the past month, and we're seeing an increase in the number of job orders coming in from our clients." Weaver sees consistent and strong demand for IT professionals specializing in desktop support, database architecture, Java development, and SQL from industries such as banking/financial, insurance, and market trading.
Bill Madden Sr., Weaver's counterpart at Sapphire's Des Plaines, Ill., office, offers a similar assessment. "Though I wouldn’t characterize overall employment to be on the rise, the IT field doesn't appear to be suffering as much as other fields. The kinds of job titles we have been noticing most frequently have been developers and engineers." Madden also notes that while some of his clients aren't replacing full-time positions, "we know there are still vital projects that demand IT manpower. Therefore, we predict that the demand for contract placements will increase in coming months."
According to AeA's 2008 Cybercities study, 11,000 high-tech establishments are set up in Chicago, the third most in the nation. The average tech worker there earned $81,400 in 2006 (the latest figures available), 66 percent more than the average private sector wage. And despite Motorola's woes, the city remains a critical location for computer systems design and telecommunications development and services. Overall, Chicago is deemed to be the nation's seventh largest cybercity.
In order to drum up more interest in Chicago and Illinois as high-tech centers, a list of Illinois' publicly traded technology companies was released in May and now appears on the NASDAQ Partner Index under the symbol ILTI. The first such index in the nation, it was created by Nasdaq and AeA to let investors keep an eye on Chicago's high-tech success. Although it can't currently be traded, the index includes current stock prices for local companies such as Motorola, Abbott Labs, Baxter and Boeing, as well as less-recognized Acura Pharmaceuticals, Open Text Corp., SigmaTron, SXC Health Solutions Corp., and other companies in biotech, life sciences, information technology and high-tech manufacturing. Job hunters can use the list of ILTI-listed companies as a first stop in their research as they look for new job opportunities.
But think twice before you quit your current job. Sapphire's Weaver offers this bit of obvious - but important - advice to anyone seeking a career change: "Never quit a job without having another one already lined up. Though the IT job market in Chicago is still healthy, with today's economic climate, it has gotten a bit harder for workers to find replacement positions quickly. To avoid a prolonged lapse in employment, be sure to have an offer in hand before jumping ship."
A decline in job postings has slowed. |
 |
 |
Many hiring companies who use Dice search our resume database before posting jobs. That means many of the best jobs are never even posted. Post your resume now, and be sure not to miss any opportunities.