Throughout 2019 we saw strong demand across the country for senior-level hardware and software engineers, and an increase in some locations like parts of California and in the Greater Boston Area. We saw an interest in emerging technologies and skill sets as well as a need for some of the traditional, or core engineering, competencies. With 2020 gearing up to be another promising year for hardware and software engineers, here is a recap as well as a forecast of the demand for senior-level IT skills.
Location, Location, Location
For Triple Crown Consulting, we saw the most demand throughout 2019 in California, in general. Cities like San Jose, San Francisco and San Diego gobble up tech talent pretty much as soon as you can find it, especially senior-level tech talent like hardware and software engineers. We even wrote about recruiting in California – from the Bay Area to SoCal – in this article published earlier this year. Check it out for good tips on interstate recruiting senior-level tech talent in California. We also saw a consistently strong demand in the Greater Boston Area, which not only had a need for tech talent in the technology sector but also in pharmaceuticals, finance and for their start-up market too. It’s no Silicon Valley, but Boston gave the coast of California a run for its money in technology talent demand this year.
Our trends checked out with big tech trade business group CompTIA’s annual list of top cities for technology talent. The ranking is based on a variety of factors, including the number of tech openings, the number of tech workers, cost of living, average salary, and the one-year and five-year forecast for job growth. According to CompTIA, the top five cities in 2019 for tech talent were:
1. Austin, Texas,
2. Raleigh, N.C.,
3. San Jose, Calif.,
4. Seattle, Wash., and
5. San Francisco, Calif.
Our trends checked out with big tech trade business group CompTIA’s annual list of top cities for technology talent. The ranking is based on a variety of factors, including the number of tech openings, the number of tech workers, cost of living, average salary, and the one-year and five-year forecast for job growth. According to CompTIA, the top five cities in 2019 for tech talent were:
Boston came in at number 15, up from number 17 in 2018. Raleigh/Durham, N.C. also had a strong showing on this year’s list, coming in at number two and number 13, respectively. Interestingly enough, Triple Crown has an office opening in Raleigh/Durham next month. Talk about good timing. Location matters when recruiting senior-level tech talent, especially if there is not as much flexibility in the hours or if telecommuting is not an option. Being mindful of market conditions is also important – if underpaid, tech workers will have other options they can easily pursue. And, non-financial perks like an onsite gym and paid lunches don’t really work on this type of professional – in fact, these are the four things that matter most to top technology talent, and they don’t include spa days or a visiting masseuse.
Location matters when recruiting senior-level tech talent, especially if there is not as much flexibility in the hours or if telecommuting is not an option. Being mindful of market conditions is also important – if underpaid, tech workers will have other options they can easily pursue. And, non-financial perks like an onsite gym and paid lunches don’t really work on this type of professional – in fact, these are the four things that matter most to top technology talent, and they don’t include spa days or a visiting masseuse.
Tech Skills in Demand: 2019 Recap, 2020 Forecast
Every other month we send out a contractor newsletter with a round-up of the top jobs we’re hiring for. After looking at those six newsletters from 2019, these were consistently the top tech skills we were hiring for throughout the year:
- ASIC Verification
- FPGA Design & Verification
- C++ Windows and Linux Application Level Development
We also paused mid-way through the year and did a recap of the top five most in-demand engineering jobs. These held true for the better part of 2019 – they were:
- Embedded SW/FW Engineer,
- RTL Design Engineer,
- DSP/FPGA Engineer,
- Full Stack Developer, and
- ASIC Verification Engineer
As we look to 2020, the skills demand for senior-level tech talent will continue to be strong. Specifically, I predict needs in the core areas of hardware and software engineering:
- Hardware: UVM Verification, SoC Design, PCB Design & Layout
- Software: Python, React/Redux, Machine Learning
Additional predictions by Software Engineering & Management Consultant Omar Rabbolini is that there will be demand in these three niches of software engineering in 2020: Voice Assistants, Passwordless Authentication and Static Website Generation.
Regardless of the specifics, there will be a continuous need for senior-level hardware and software engineers, especially as artificial intelligence, machine learning, enterprise virtual reality and augmented reality, autonomy technology and smart robots become more mainstream and have more business applications and make their way into people’s everyday lives.
In engineering, the work is dynamic, but the demand continues to be much of the same – and it’s high.
