| July 2006 |
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Houston's technology sector is riding high on the wings of a soaring energy market and analysts expect the growth to continue for some time.
“There is a very big demand for talent in Houston right now,” said Larry Bruce, vice president of Sapphire Technologies, a national IT staffing firm with a regional office in Houston.
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While energy is the big business driving the IT job growth, there are plenty of start-up innovators searching for talent, according to Bruce.
“There are a lot of small, strong companies in Houston,” said Bruce. It’s a great place to be.”
Houston is projected to add more than 70,000 new jobs this year alone, its strongest job market since 2000, according to Houston-based real estate research firm Metrostudy.
The state also ranks third in the United States in venture capital investments and continues to be among the top tech exporters in the country, ranking second behind only California.
One reason for the continued optimism is a steady state-wide economy that created nearly 15,000 jobs in May and more than 600,000 jobs since July 2003, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.
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| Houston is projected to add more than 70,000 new jobs this year alone, its strongest job market since 2000 |
| - Houston-based real estate research firm Metrostudy |
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The job growth rate over the last 12 months is now nearly twice that of the national average, according to the Workforce Commission.
"The addition of jobs is often the best indicator of a healthy labor market and Texas has shown a consistent pattern of job growth over the last three years," said Diane Rath, chairperson of the Texas Workforce Commission.
Technology job listings on Dice jumped 19% in the Houston area during a recent three-month period that ended in June. There are 1,439 IT jobs on the company’s Web site. The most sought-after IT skills right now, according to Dice, include Oracle, SAP and Java.
“Houston is another city, that while it is not quite where it was during the dot-com boom, it is getting close,” said Brian Gabrielson, national practice director with Robert Half Technology.
Gabrielson says that the tightening IT job market has already led to hiring changes, as well as salaries, trending upward.
“As the employment market becomes more competitive, technology executives are now also focusing efforts on sound retention strategies,” he said.
And it’s no longer just the certified IT worker commanding the big bucks, according to Foote Partners, an IT compensation and workforce management research firm.
“It’s an accelerating trend, the fact that IT skills without certification are growing in value 70% greater than certified skills over the past year,” said David Foote, president and chief research officer for Foote Partners. “While technical skills are still important, employers are not placing the same premium on certification of these skills they once did.”
On the national level, chief information officers expect to increase IT hiring in the third quarter of 2006, according to the Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report. Of executives polled, 13% plan to add IT staff in the next three months and 3% anticipate cutbacks.
“Continued corporate expansion is prompting many CIOs to initiate new projects and expand hiring plans,” said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “As a result, competition for the most skilled candidates is increasing as hiring managers seek individuals who can support internal staff and assist with new development initiatives.”
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| Dice job postings in Houston are up 42 % since Jan. |
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