Tech hiring surges in 2021

Tech job postings increased 16% in the second quarter of 2021, with locations, occupations, skills, and employers across the country experiencing strong quarter-over-quarter growth, according to the Q2 2021 Tech Job Report from Dice, a DHI Group, Inc. brand (NYSE: DHX).  

Nationwide tech hiring surges in the second quarter of 2021

Job posting activity remained high for the top 50 tech employers (by posting volume) in the second quarter, with 78% increasing tech job postings quarter-over-quarter. With emerging tech hubs like Las Vegas, Sacramento, and Nashville has seen the strongest growth, most mature tech hubs also fared well in the second quarter. 

“We are in one of the hottest tech job markets since the dot-com era, as evidenced by the upward trend in tech job postings since November 2020. What’s most encouraging to me is the sweeping growth we experienced in the second quarter regardless of location, desired occupation, or skillset. When pairing the increases in tech hiring with the steadfastly low tech unemployment rate of 2.2 percent, it remains clear that technologists are in incredibly high demand across multiple sectors including tech, defense, healthcare, and finance,” said Art Zeile, CEO of Dice, a DHI Group brand. 

The Dice Q2 Tech Job Report is based on an analysis of more than 1 million tech job postings between April and June 2021 and is then compared to job-posting data from January through March 2021, as well as historical trends (via Burning Glass Technologies). The report includes data and analysis on quarter-over-quarter percentage change by tech job posting volume, parsed by location, employer, occupation, and skill. This edition of the report includes three Tech Hub Highlights, call-out sections showcasing key features of Austin, TX, Charlotte, NC, and Atlanta, GA. 

48 out of 50 Top Cities Saw Job Posting Growth; Emerging Hubs Outperform 
Second-quarter saw job postings rise across the nation. Both mature and emerging hubs have continued to expand to meet the demand. 

Top 10 Cities by Job Posting Volume

(QoQ % Change, Q1 2021 to Q2 2021) 

Q2 2021 Volume Rank City % Change 

1  New York, NY 21% 

2 Atlanta, GA 18% 

3 Chicago, IL 11% 

4 San Francisco, CA 4% 

5 Washington, DC 18% 

6 Austin, TX 25% 

7 Seattle, WA 0% 

8 Dallas, TX 22% 

9 Los Angeles, CA 7% 

10 Boston, MA 25% 

Las Vegas saw the highest growth, up 43% quarter-over-quarter. Prior to the pandemic, Las Vegas had been one of the fastest-growing tech markets, offering technologists a wide range of opportunities in high-growth areas like software engineering, gaming technology, data centers, and autonomous vehicles. Sacramento, which saw a 36% increase in tech job postings during the second quarter, has also been receiving positive press as a growing hub for innovation. Other emerging hubs include Nashville (+32% growth), followed by 30% growth in Miami, 27% growth in Colorado Springs, 26% growth in Phoenix, and 19% growth in Tampa. 

Top 10 Cities by Job Posting Growth 

(QoQ % Change, Q1 2021 to Q2 2021)

Q2 2021 Growth Rank City % Change 

1 Las Vegas, NV 43% 

2 Sacramento, CA 36% 

3 Huntsville, AL 35% 

4 Nashville, TN 32% 

5 Hartford, CT 31% 

6 Miami, FL 30% 

7 Colorado Springs, CO 27% 

8 Phoenix, AZ 26% 

9 Austin, TX 25% 

10 Jersey City, NJ 25%

Prominent tech states like California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Colorado all experienced growth, with Florida (+25% from Q1), Colorado (+24%), and Texas (+21%) topping the list. Texas remained second only to California in postings, with strong growth in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and Plano. New York state also saw 19% growth led by New York City’s 21% quarter-over-quarter growth. Nevada (+35%) and Arizona (+24%) ranked 2nd and 6th respectively in quarterly growth, with gains driven by posting growth in Las Vegas in Nevada, and Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale in Arizona. 

Well-Established Skills Remain Favorites in Q2

Job postings in the second quarter showed that, when it comes to skills, time-honored favorites remain in demand.

• Python remains dominant, with a 15% quarter-over-over increase in job postings listing it as a desired skill. Its momentum shows no sign of slowing, with GitHub survey data showing that Python, HTML, and Javascript were the most used languages by students, the incoming generation of technologists.
• Project Management job postings increased 15% in the second quarter, keeping it in the top spot for important skills employers are seeking. The continued interest in candidates with project management, scrum, and JIRA experience shows that companies want technologists who have a proven ability to effectively manage teams and projects. 
• Job postings that included Salesforce as a skill increased 22% in the second quarter. The presence of Salesforce skills in job postings showcases how technologists are an increasingly vital voice in marketing, sales, and other business-critical areas. 
• Data management continues to be a sought-after skill. Job postings looking for technologists skilled in Tableau increased by 18% in the second quarter of 2021. 

Top 25 Tech Skills by Job Posting Volume

(Quarter-over-Quarter % Change, Q1 2021 to Q2 2021) 

Q2 2021 Volume Rank Skill % Change 

1 Project Management 15% 

2 SQL 9% 

3 Java 7% 

4 Python 15% 

5 JavaScript 8% 

6 Linux 7% 

7 Scrum 21% 

8 Business Process 21% 

9 Technical Support 15% 

10 Quality Assurance and Control 14% 

11 DevOps 14% 

12 Information Systems 17% 

13 Oracle 12% 

14 Product Management 17% 

15 Data Analysis 18% 

16 Project Planning and Development 17% 

17 Microsoft C# 7% 

18 Git 6% 

19 Atlassian JIRA 23% 

20 Business Analysis 12% 

21 Agile Development 18% 

22 Product Development 19% 

23 Change Management 16% 

24 C++ 5% 

25 Kubernetes 21%

Dice Tech Job Report Overview and Methodology

To gather these insights, job posting data was provided by Dice’s partner, Burning Glass Technologies, which has a database of more than 1 billion current and historical job postings worldwide. Dice analyzed over 1 million tech job postings in the U.S. To gather our specific dataset, we filtered for “Information Technology” jobs with hours that fall under “Full Time,” “Part-Time” and “Not Listed,” as well as job types that are categorized as “Permanent,” or “Not Listed.” The datasets used for the “Employers” section were gathered by using the above criteria, with an additional filter for job postings that only derive from employer sites.