The state of North Carolina is known for having several technology corridors in Charlotte and Raleigh, along with a large research-heavy set of companies and startups coming out of the large universities in those areas such as UNC and Duke. That area has been hit hard during the recession, but there are a few bright spots to report.
March saw a near-100 percent increase in technology job openings from 2009. The numbers are not astonishing, but they are an excellent thing to talk about, considering the job challenges facing many in IT today.
According to the North Carolina Technology Association, March saw 2,220 job openings, compared with 1,120 in 2009. The biggest increases were in software development, IT management, and systems engineering and support. This was also a 28.3 percent increase from February 2010’s numbers of 1,730 job openings in the state.
From the NCTA report (PDF):
“Leading the charge are employers in Financial Services, HiTech and IT Services. The continuation of the job market expansion in March makes us more optimistic that job openings will in fact turn to payroll.IT job markets in Raleigh (32.%) and Charlotte (up 38.2%) expanded significantly. Nevertheless, the IT job market in North Carolina has much to recover… Demand for all core IT occupations grew in double digits.“