Illinois Employers Searching for Technology Workers, CompTIA Analysis Reveals

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Feb. 19, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Employers across Illinois continue to search for technology workers, according to a new analysis of employment and hiring data by CompTIA, the nonprofit trade association for the information technology (IT) industry.

Illinois companies had 34,905 job postings for technology workers in Q4 2015.[1] The large majority – 30,956 – were in the Chicago metropolitan area.

The Q4 numbers are down from last year's high water mark of technology job postings in the state – nearly 54,000 in Q1 2015. But the Q4 figures indicate that companies in Illinois – and across the country – continue to have a strong need for technology workers. Nationwide, more than 807,000 IT jobs were posted by employers in Q4 2015.

While every job posting does not result in a new hire, the job posting data provides some useful directional insight into employment trends in the technology profession.

The Illinois technology job postings were spread across a range of industries, including companies in management consulting, technology services, insurance, financial services, healthcare, education, retail, publishing and computer and electronic product manufacturing.

Companies were seeking talent in both non-developer positions – IT hardware, networking, security and services – and software and web development. In addition to technical or coding capabilities, employers' job ads identified communications and problem-solving as desirable skills.

"Closing the Gap"

On Tuesday, February 23 CompTIA and DV X Labs, the DeVry Education Group's education technology incubator, will co-host "Closing the Gap," a forum on the current and future needs for technology skills in the Illinois workforce. Thought leaders from higher education, business, government and the tech sector will discuss the skills gap in Illinois and strategies to expand the technology talent pool in Illinois.

Gretchen Koch, executive director of workforce development strategies for the Creating IT Futures Foundation, is among the speakers scheduled to participate in the forum.

The invitation-only event will be held at 1871, Chicago's entrepreneurial hub for digital startups.

To learn more about CompTIA visit CompTIA online, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

[1] Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights, February 2016.

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SOURCE CompTIA

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