IT Jobs are Open and Growing

Openings in the Washington and Baltimore metro areas are up 7 percent in 2012.

While the threat of sequestration is still looming, federal IT workers in several parts of the country may take heart in the fact that IT jobs are open and growing.

This month’s issue of the Dice Report notes that IT job openings in the Washington and Baltimore area are up 7 percent this year. Other metropolitan areas with growth in tech jobs were Silicon Valley, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle and Philadelphia. New York still led the pack in terms of the number of tech jobs available, despite the fact that open positions are down 5 percent this year, Dice found.

At the same time, there are several states trying to earn a top spot in the number of available tech jobs. Maryland, for example, has had nearly 6 percent IT job growth thus far in 2012. “While concerns at defense firms loom regarding the fiscal cliff and its impact on future employment, defense contracting isn’t the only egg in Maryland’s basket,” the report states. “Local hospitals, biotechnology and healthcare services companies are recruiting and tech professionals with experience in that field are in demand.”

Other states showing growth in IT jobs were Massachusetts, Texas, Minnesota, Oregon, Georgia, Utah, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.