The Washington Business Journal published an article describing the growing abundance of tech opportunities in the DC area. To hear about TMG’s thoughts on turning DC into a tech hub, please contact our Vice President, Deborah Page.
The DC area is thirsty for tech talent. Year to date, it has had roughly 135,000 job openings, almost double Silicon Valley’s 73,000. This is an ongoing trend that started in 2020, when the DC area became a net importer of tech talent. Coupled with layoffs in Silicon Valley during the pandemic, the area has drawn a large influx of new talent.
Available job openings wouldn’t normally be enough to entice a person to move across the country, but the area provides a number of other opportunities unique to the area including:
- A diverse and representative culture,
- Exceptional educational opportunities,
- And thriving government contracting, consulting, and nonprofit sectors.
In order for the DC area to truly become a tech hub, employers and other stakeholders in the region must work together to recruit and retain talent.
Employers must build a cohesive tech pipeline. This begins with a clear understanding of the motivations and needs of candidates, as well as the unique demands of each position, and carries on to include mission-driven roles that more closely align with the organization’s strategic objectives.
Another sticking point is the importance of closing representation gaps. Improving racial and gender diversity can help employers tap into an underutilized well of talent while bettering the organization’s culture and employee satisfaction.
Lastly, employers are not alone. Job openings do not exist in a vacuum. There are organizations such as the Greater Washington Partnership that bring educational institutions and employers together to better signal an abundance of tech opportunities. By offering better training and professional development opportunities at the regional level, we can grow the available pool of talent.
