| April 2006 |
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| Dice job postings in the Dallas/Fort Worth area are up 20% |
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The Lone Star state likes to do things big. And while its job growth rate was anything but large just a few short years ago, it seems to be making up for lost time.
Texas has added 279,700 jobs since February 2005, a 2.9 percent increase in employment, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. The job growth rate over the last 12 months is now nearly twice that of the national average.
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A few years ago the state ranked near the bottom of that category. The latest growth rate nearly doubled the national average of 1.5 percent.
"Now, competition is rising for professionals skilled in the hottest applications and specialties, and multiple offers for IT jobs are increasingly common," said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology.
In Dallas, one of the state’s technology leaders, IT jobs seem to be flourishing while the hunt for qualified candidates heats up.
Technology job listings on Dice, the leading technology career site, jumped an impressive 20 percent in the Dallas/Fort Worth area during a recent three-month period, from 2,574 in December to 3,079 in March. The most sought-after IT skills right now, according to Dice, include Oracle, SAP and Java.
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| The average yearly salary for IT workers in Dallas is $72,700, nearly $2,500 more than the U.S. average |
| - Dice.com Salary Survey |
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“Many of the companies and recruiting agencies we work with expect Dallas to be one of the hottest job markets in the country,” said Scot Melland, CEO of Dice. “The market is heating up so much that finding quality people has become a top priority for tech companies in the area.”
A report conducted by Robert Half Technology, called the IT Hiring Index and Skills Report, said 12 percent of chief information officers (CIOs) interviewed planned to expand their IT departments in the second quarter of 2006.
“Business growth in the region is prompting many firms to launch initiatives and increase investments in new technology,” Lee said. “In particular, companies seek mid- and senior-level IT staff such as applications developers, quality assurance professionals and network administrators.”
The average yearly salary for IT workers in Dallas is $72,700, nearly $2,500 more than the U.S. average, according to a salary survey by Dice. The area’s overall numbers are following a significant national trend.
This year alone should see the creation of 217,000 new tech jobs in the U.S., according to Virendra Singh, a senior economist at Moody’s Economy.com. That would make 2006 the best year the industry has seen since it flattened toward the end of 2000.
Singh also expects the job-growth trend to remain steady through at least 2010, with an additional 126,000 tech jobs created in 2007 and 123,000 more in 2008.
While the job market for IT professionals seeking a position in the Dallas area has remained steady, economists predict 2006 will see solid increases in several tech areas throughout the year.
“Many CIOs are adding IT personnel gradually to support recent business growth,” Lee said.
If you would like to be interviewed for the next Dice market report, or if you have comments about this article, please contact us at feedback@dice.com.
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| “multiple offers for IT jobs are increasingly common” |
| - Katherine Spencer Lee, Robert Half Technology |
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