Tech job postings have declined for the second straight month in Tampa Bay.
July had 5,807 job postings, down from 6,140 in June and May’s 8,987 postings, according to CompTIA’s analysis of the U.S. of Bureau of Labor Statistics. CompTIA is an information technology trade association.
Orlando has also seen dips throughout the summer, but the U.S. sector as a whole remains in growth mode.
CompTIA’s analysis found national postings for tech jobs surpassed 484,000 in July and 3.1 million year-to-date, which is an increase of 40% over the same period last year. The industry gained 12,700 workers for the month, and with an unemployment rate of 1.7% in July, the tech industry continues to grow as others struggle in the face of Covid.
In Tampa Bay, Citi took the top spot in tech job postings, with 229 in July. USAA followed with 178, and Washington-based Fisher Investments, which has a Tampa office, rounded out the top three with 138 postings.
Finance and insurance were the most sought out industries in July, with a staggering 1,074 postings. The professional, scientific and technical services industry followed with 928 postings.
Software developers and engineers were the top requested professions, with computer support specialists and cybersecurity positions following.
One trend that was seen in this month’s report was that companies showed more flexibility in who they hire as there continues to be a gap between the number of jobs out there and the people available to fill them.
“More tech companies are starting to look for people other than the traditional candidate or the unicorn candidate, the person that checks every box on their LinkedIn or has a resume that meets all the criteria, because those people are so hard to find,” Steven Ostrowski, CompTIA’s senior director of corporate communications, said in an interview with Chicago Inno. “What companies are doing is easing their requirements, perhaps not requiring a four-year degree and looking at other job experience.”
Ostrowski added that he’s seen a lot of poaching from within the industry as layoffs reported across the tech world have created a funnel for some companies to hire more experienced and qualified candidates.
“Oftentimes, it’s a fairly senior position, and they simply don’t have a pipeline to fill that gap,” he said.
