There's a saying that goes "If you're not growing, you're dying." It might be the case on Wall Street or in a more generalized sense of self-growth, learning and progress.
But it doesn't apply to the ebb and flow of tech job postings, and Austin is a prime example.
In its latest analysis of tech job postings, career site Dice found that the number of openings in Austin has declined from its recent peak just a couple of months prior in May. At that time, Dice spotted 11,977 tech job postings. In June, it had slimmed down to 9,536. That was the trend in all the top tech markets to one degree or another.
But, much like the recent decline in venture funding in Austin, it's likely a bit more about normalization after a period of extraordinary growth than a sign that the sky is falling. Yet, it is a sign of change. Dice's new report counts Austin among tech hubs that are feeling the impact of fast-rising house prices.
"A plateau in growth is anticipated as people stay put after moving (or not) in 2020 or 2021, especially with Austin, Charlotte, Phoenix and a number of other top tech hubs widely viewed as overvalued," the report says.
Chart: Check out Dice's analysis of tech job postings in Austin by month since January 2021.
Meanwhile, one of the main themes of summer 2022 was big tech companies and startups alike either preparing for a market correction or getting swept up in it. That led to many companies to pause hiring or lay off workers after building for hockey stick growth that hasn't materialized.
Among the top 25 tech cities, Austin still stands strong. It ranks No. 5 in year-over-year tech job growth at 39%, when comparing the first half of 2022 with the first half of 2021. In that breakdown, New York led the way, followed by Chicago, Atlanta and San Francisco.
But the nation's rising tech hubs led the way in percentage change. The top ranked city when comparing H1 2021 with H1 2022 was Orlando, with 111% growth. It was followed by Miami; Detroit; Irvine, California; and Houston. San Antonio ranked sixth and Dallas landed at No. 15.
Overall, job postings for tech-focused positions nationwide were up 45% over six months through June and up 52% compared with the same period in 2021.
This is all generally good news, even though many people are feeling the pinch of market contraction.
"The recent wave of layoffs and hiring freezes in tech-focused organizations has not slowed down the overall demand for technologists," stated Dice CEO Art Zeile. "Moreover, we believe that current demand exceeds the available supply of unemployed technologists by at least two times."
Meanwhile, the report pointed to the skills and positions tech employers are hungriest for.
For positions, software engineer led the way, followed by business analyst, data analyst, data engineer and devops engineer.
For skills, agile methodology led the way, followed by Structured Query Language, troubleshooting, Python and software engineering.
