| October 2006 |
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| Technology and entertainment have long driven the Los Angeles IT job market, and those two sectors are still steering the local economy. Although much of California has seen steady economic gain in recent quarters, the tech sector in Southern California has continued to lead the way. Now, the primary concern of those running IT departments in Los Angeles is finding enough skilled professionals to do all the work.
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“It’s hard to find people in this area right now,” said Cynthia Hicks, a middleware project manager with DirecTV in Los Angeles. “It’s at the point where we pick candidates who most closely meet our needs and then dedicate ourselves to training them.”
Hicks, who has worked in the region’s technology industry for 15 years, says the job market has been tight for some time. “There has been a noticeable difference over the past few years since I was last looking for a position,” said Hicks, who landed her current job over two years ago through Dice.
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| 18% of Los Angeles CIOs plan to make new hires this quarter. |
| - Robert Half Technology's fourth-quarter IT Hiring Index |
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IT staffing firm Robert Half Technology also finds hiring is moving along at a brisk pace in Los Angeles. Its fourth-quarter IT Hiring Index finds that a net 18% of Los Angeles CIOs plan to make new hires this quarter.
Diana Jordan, Los Angeles branch manager of IT staffing firm Sapphire Technologies, says she has seen it, too. As a staffing professional she deals with the shortage everyday, although she concedes it’s better to be short of candidates than short of job listings in her line of work. “All the good candidates are working,” said Jordan. “There are a lot of challenges to filling these jobs, but at least the jobs are there.”
Jordan said while more and more companies are having a hard time finding skilled workers, they are increasingly offering special incentives including retention bonuses and relocation packages. “At this point, people are willing to offer interesting incentives to get quality professionals,” she said.
As a whole, Los Angeles area employers expect to continue hiring during the fourth quarter of 2006, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. From October to December, 41% of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees, while only 6% expect to reduce their payrolls, according to Manpower spokesperson Claudette Hilliard.
According to stats from Dice, the IT job market in Los Angeles has been steady over the past year. Job listings on Dice have climbed consistently since last December, up 17% to 5,487 by the end of September.
“IT is the same story as in many other popular areas of the country,” said Dice CEO Scot Melland. “A good economy, a desirable location, and plenty of investment are going to lead to skill shortages.” And those shortages often make salaries rise: Los Angeles IT professionals reported earning an average yearly income of $73,600, according to a salary survey by Dice. The national average tech salary is $70,300.
“Los Angeles is shaping up to be one of those hot markets in the coming months,” said Melland. “The opportunities are spread throughout the media, entertainment, and telecommunications industries.”
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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