Silicon Valley, Boston, and New York top the list of highest-paying metropolitan areas for technology professionals, according findings of a report issued May 3 by Dice, an online resource for technology professionals.
Taking in factors including geography, skills, job demand and salaries, the Dice Report finds that the tech job market “continues to thrive” as job postings to Dice.com rose 31.1 percent over the past year to 89,286 postings.
Boston had the largest gain in the job postings in April 2006, growing 13.2 percent to 3,268. Philadelphia was pushed down to the seventh position with 3,164 postings.
Salaries in Silicon Valley topped other metropolitan areas, averaging $85,600, followed by Boston at $78,700, New York at $76,700, Baltimore/Washington, D.C., at $76,100 and Atlanta at $75,000.
New York and New Jersey continue to lead the pack in number of available tech jobs, as it has consistently since May 2005.
The most sought-after skills, based on job postings, continue to include C and C++ with postings requiring such experience growing 5.5 percent in April.
Requests for workers with .Net experience grew, outpacing those for workers with J2EE/Java experience, 11,676 to 11,531.
The report also addresses the topic of outsourcing in May; 39 percent of individuals polled felt that the most important thing the government should to do to prevent IT outsourcing is offer subsidies and tax incentives for companies that keep jobs in the United States.
Twenty-three percent felt that the government should implement more stringent trade rules and tariffs for sending work overseas, 22 percent felt that the government should create more funding and scholarship programs for IT workers and students, and 18 percent felt that the number of available H-1B visas should be reduced.
While the number of permanent positions posted on Dice.com has grown 5 percent in the last month, from 56,824 to 59,768, the number of contract positions has only grown from 34,066 to 34,448, or 1 percent.