| October 2006 |
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| Hiring in San Bernardino and Riverside counties is surging |
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| When AeA, the nation’s largest trade association for the high-tech industry, identified San Bernardino-Riverside as the second fastest growing California cybercity in its 2006 report, no one in the region could have been too surprised. The Inland Empire Economic Partnership said that there are 200,000 degreed workers in the area, and with an influx of population, capital, and innovation, the region has become "a hot zone for high-tech companies." The size of the total workforce is 863,000, and the total regional population, 3.9 million, makes the Inland Empire larger than almost half of the states in the union, and new residents are still flooding in.
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How hot is hot? The quarterly Manpower Employment Outlook Survey has found that in the fourth quarter, San Bernardino area employers will be hiring enthusiastically. Forty-three percent of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while none plan to reduce their payrolls, according to Manpower spokesperson Evlyn Wilcox. That’s up over the third quarter, when 40% reported they planned to add headcount, according to Wilcox. It's also one of the strongest hiring forecasts for any major metro region in the nation.
At Dice, the number of current job listings for San Bernardino has held fairly steady throughout the year. At any given moment there are approximately 120 IT-related jobs for job seekers to sort through at Dice.
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| With an influx of population, capital, and innovation, the region has become a "hot zone for high-tech companies." |
| - The Inland Empire Economic Partnership |
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"The Inland Empire is participating in the unstoppable overall growth trend that we're seeing across the Southwest," said Scot Melland, CEO of Dice. "Many people are moving there, and they seem to be finding good jobs."
As the Wall Street Journal pointed out in a recent analysis of the local commercial real estate market, the Inland Empire offers proximity to the huge ports of southern California but lower rents than coastal cities. That has made it a mecca for warehousing and distribution. One example: grocer Stater Bros. Markets, which is building a 2.2 million-square-foot distribution center. IT job seekers should pay special attention to this sector, where database development and maintenance and project management skills are especially in demand.
Local IT professional Susan Stonert, who obtained her current job through a listing at Dice, expressed concern about an increasing trend toward outsourcing of IT jobs. “Typically, I find that six-month contracts are most likely to be available,” she said. Asked about telecommuting, Stonert said that in her experience, employers are slow to approve it, feeling a need to remain in close control of their workforce.
But here's a hint for San Bernardino IT experts who want a full-time job and don't mind a long, southern California-style commute: Orange County needs you too. While 100,000 new jobs have been created in the OC in the past five years, only 90,000 workers have arrived, and with the average age of the county rising, the gap between jobs and workers may widen as the number of 20 to 45 year olds continues to drop. If the job offers are looking sparse at home, cast a glance to the Southwest. And don't forget to ask about the possibility of telecommuting.
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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| Dice job postings in San Bernardino are up 34% since Jan. |
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