Though tech layoffs have become near-daily occurrences nationally, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, are seeing an increasing number of job openings in the sector.
Raleigh had more than 12,300 available IT positions in October, according to the latest monthly report from the North Carolina Technology Association, an industry group. That’s a 35% increase from just two months earlier.
The combined Durham and Chapel Hill market had almost 3,600 openings last month, reflecting a rise from the summer.
Statewide, the number of unfilled tech positions hit a high for 2022.
“Headlines continue to mention layoffs and hiring freezes, but tech positions in North Carolina remain on an upward trajectory,” said Andrea Fleming, NC Tech’s director of talent and workforce development, in a statement Monday. “Uncertainty is still looming, but at the moment, IT postings for US and NC are holding strong.”
After going on hiring sprees during 2020 and 2021, many tech firms have stopped hiring and cut jobs in recent months as interest rates rose and fears of recession mounted.
Cisco was the latest major technology company with Triangle ties to announce layoffs. The San Jose, Calif.-based company, which employs around 5,000 people locally, said last week it would cut around 5% of its total workforce as part of a restructuring plan.
A Cisco spokesperson did not say whether Triangle-based employees would be impacted.
‘We will never have enough people’
Still, tech workers appear to be better positioned for employment compared to other industries.
The national unemployment rate for the sector stands around 2.5%, less than October’s overall unemployment rate of 3.7%
According to the NC Tech jobs report, the most needed positions are software engineers, project managers and data engineers. The top five hirers are Deloitte, Bank of America, General Dynamics Information Technology, Fidelity Investments and MetLife.
“I think from an industry perspective, when you look at STEM, it is well known that we will never have enough people who will be able to meet the demand,” Bill Pappas, head of MetLife’s global technology and operations, told The News & Observer.
In August, Metlife announced it would add 400 jobs to its U.S. tech hub in Cary. Pappas said the company is still on track to fill them.
The NC Tech jobs report was underwritten by multiple tech companies like Google, Red Hat and Dell.
