Forty-three percent of Des Moines tech hiring managers expect to grow their teams before the end of 2018, according to a new report released from staffing firm Robert Half Technology.
The firm’s latest report surveyed hiring managers in 26 metropolitan areas in the U.S., and found respondents cited cybersecurity and cloud architecture as the two most in-demand skills for new hires. Eighty-eight percent of respondents say they’re seeing more technology specialists move to Des Moines for job opportunities.
The report finds that national unemployment in tech fields by position remains under 3 percent: unemployment hovers around 2.9 percent for web developers, 0.9 percent for computer and information systems managers, and 0.1 percent for database administrators.
Iowa’s tech fields are on a roll in receiving national attention, and Des Moines in particular will be hosting the 2018 Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) Conference in late July. Technology work in Iowa accounts for 8.8 percent of the state’s GDP, according to the Technology Association of Iowa.
“Des Moines continues to have extremely low unemployment, combined with high demand for senior developers (C# and Java), cloud engineers and professionals with security expertise,” said Dawn Mann, metro market manager of Robert Half Technology in Des Moines. “As a result, employers are accelerating the hiring cycle to avoid losing talent to the competition. Many companies are also exploring contract-to-hire as an option.”
“The Des Moines market is primed for entry-level IT talent; employers are eager to get fresh talent in the door,” Mann added.