High-tech job openings continue to surge across NC; 2022 outlook strong

RALEIGH – Companies across North Carolina continue to prowl for high-tech talent with job openings continuing to surge despite the renewed fury of COVID and the threat it poses to the economy.

Publicly listed information technology positions grew to more than 46,000 in November – the highest number in recent years, according to the monthly IT Job Trends report from the N.C. Technology Assocation.

At 46,475, the total tops October’s 45,984, which had been the previous high.

And IT job openings have topped 42,000 for five consecutive months.

As for the jobs outlook for the New Year, right now the picture remains very positive.

“As we round out 2021, we’ve seen job postings in NC increase at a fairly steady rate over the last year, and predict that will continue into the early months of 2022,” the authors of the NCTECH report note.

Open jobs have surged some 53% year over year, reflecting an even larger increase nationally (59%) to more than 1.46 million.

The report authors say they are not surprised by the numbers, reflecting a robust and growing U.S. economy despite the COVID pandemic. The tech sector is seeing business boom as companies shift to more technology solutions.

“Software engineering roles, project manager roles, and data engineering roles remain at the top of the list for job titles in November,” the authors report. “This comes as no suprise as the demand for tech talent is higher than ever.”

The report comes as recent reports note the nation continues to face a shortage of labor to fill jobs.

Why a labor shortage? These key numbers explain what’s happening

Talen demand remains strongest in the Triangle with more than 19,000 openings. The Charlotte metro has more than 16,000 open positions, the report shows.

Most in demand by category: