Charlotte is among the top North Carolina metros for information-technology job openings, according to a recent report from NC TECH.
In February, the Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord area had more than 16,500 job postings — a 53% year-over-year increase. Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, which includes part of the greater Charlotte region, saw a 40% increase in openings, according to the report. The Triangle region ranked No. 1 for IT job openings in February, although the data set defines 15 MSAs, thus dividing that area into Raleigh (14,812, 30% increase) and Durham-Chapel Hill (4,964, 33% increase).
The Greensboro-High Point metro saw nearly 2,000 openings in February, a whopping 139% year-over-year increase. Another Triad city, Winston-Salem, reported an 84% jump to about 1,000 openings.
Goldsboro was the top performer based on its 1,090% increase. Burlington's openings, however, dropped by 2%.
Statewide, there were more than 48,500 openings, a 46% jump from February 2021. That accounts for about 3% of last month's IT postings across the United States.
Brooks Raiford, CEO of NC TECH, said Charlotte typically tops the list each month, based on the data set with 15 MSAs.
"Clearly, that's a function of just being a thriving economy, etc., but it's also true that some of the biggest hirers are in Charlotte," Raiford said. "You have a lot of hiring going on by non-tech companies. They're hiring tech talent, but they're not themselves a tech company in the classic sense of that term."
The February report named General Dynamics Information Technology, Deloitte and PwC as the top three IT hiring companies in North Carolina. Also within the top 10 are Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC), based in Charlotte, and Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC), with its largest employment hub here. Industries like energy and financial services are increasingly supported by technology operations, Raiford said.
Non-tech companies have to come up with more creative ways to attract the tech talent they need, he said. One example is Lowes Cos. Inc. (NYSE: LOW), which decided to establish a global tech center in South End. That 23-story tower, at 100 W. Worthington Ave., recently sold for $318 million to an affiliate of New York-based Apollo Global Management. The tech center is bringing about 2,000 employees to one of Charlotte's fastest-growing areas.
Tech workers are spreading out from center cities, however. Raiford noted the pandemic-fueled trend toward remote work, meaning many employees can choose to live wherever they want. North Carolina also benefits from the in-migration of talent, he said.
"The Triangle and Charlotte are destinations for people who are transferring voluntarily," Raiford said.
The top open job titles in North Carolina in February were software engineers, project managers and data engineers, according to the report.
NC TECH publishes these reports each month, in partnership with Gartner, and based on data from the prior month. View previous reports here. NC TECH members include 600 companies, organizations and institutions, employing more than 200,000 total workers in the state.
