| October 2006 |
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| Demand for IT skills cuts across all industries |
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| An August survey by Forbes found that the highest-paying tech jobs in America can be found in Silicon Valley. The average salary: $92,700. That's exciting, and it makes sense given a falling unemployment rate, down to a recent 5.0% from 5.8% a year ago. Still, it's important to keep in mind that the Valley can be a pricey place to live, especially when it comes to real estate.
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AeA, the nation’s largest trade association for the high-tech industry, backs up the Forbes report, saying that not only is San Jose/Silicon Valley California’s largest technology hub, with 214,900 jobs, but it also pays the highest annual average wage of the state’s so-called “cybercities.”
What better locale for an IT expert? Tech is in the air everywhere, literally. In September, a consortium of telecom advocates announced plans to build, own, and operate a high-speed, outdoor, wireless network that will serve 42 entities and 2.4 million people in Silicon Valley, including every city in both San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
Brodie Guthrie, a data modeler and business analyst, finds IT consulting contracts on Dice and has recently worked for Kaiser Permanente, American Express, and Delta Dental. "Judging by the calls I've received, I'd say the action is in the finance, health care, and biotech sectors,” Guthrie said. Asked about the education market, an important source of IT contracts in many cities, Guthrie is underwhelmed. "It's amazing that I've been in the tech business for over 13 years and can count the number of calls that I've gotten to work in the education arena on one hand," he said.
What about the classic tech companies? "Finance, health care, and even real estate provide a more stable, and therefore a more reliable, work environment than some of the high-flying tech companies," Guthrie said.
Jack Amato, who has used Dice to find both full-time jobs and independent contracts, said, "When the economy is booming, then there are more full-time job offers coming in. When it’s slow, I get a lot of contract offers. The main thing is that I always find work, no matter what state the overall economy is in." Amato's best guess as to where to look for the most growth potential: telecom. "VoIP is really taking off," he said.
"Silicon Valley job hunters should cast a wide net," said Scot Melland, CEO of Dice. “It may be hard to get through the door at the Apples, Googles, and HPs of the world, but IT is needed everywhere."
On Dice.com, the number of Silicon Valley job listings has continued to rise slowly throughout the year. In January there were more than 8,400 jobs listed. Today that number is up to 8,861. And IT staffing consultancy Robert Half Technology's fourth-quarter IT Hiring Index finds that a net 13% of San Francisco CIOs plan to make new hires this quarter.
The bottom line: Silicon Valley remains a mecca for IT experts, and the networking, in every sense of the word, is excellent.
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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