2020 was a tough year for many Americans and local economies. Businesses were forced to move from in-person sales to online transactions, and many were forced to shutter permanently. The tech sector, however, has shown resilience through the pandemic with employment rising nearly 1 percent last year. This compares to a nearly 6 percent decline in administration and sales positions, and a 5.5 percent decline in non-tech occupations.
While some industries — like restaurants and airlines — are still recovering from the pandemic, the tech sector seems primed for growth.
According to real estate giant CBRE’s “Scoring Tech Talent” report released earlier this week, the Bay Area and Seattle are the best areas for tech talent. The Los Angeles/Orange County region also made the top 10, coming in at ninth place nationally.
The report identifies which North American markets have the largest tech talent pools and which markets are experiencing the highest growth. To rank these cities, CBRE used 13 metrics to analyze labor market conditions, quality, cost and attractiveness for both highly skilled tech workers and companies.
LA and Orange County were ranked as two separate markets last year, sitting at 26 and 21, respectively. These markets, now combined, climbed the most of any major metros in rankings year over year, and are now at number nine on the list.
The LA/Orange County area had 228,720 people employed in tech jobs last year — an 18.6 percent increase over five years ago. The average wage for these roles grew 13.6 percent since 2015 to $110,001, according to the report.
Computer and information systems managers in LA also experienced significant growth over the five-year period, rising 60.8 percent to 22,790 employees. Per the report, there are 97,100 employees in the computer support, database and systems sector, making it LA/Orange County’s largest tech occupations category. This sector has grown nearly 17 percent since 2015, while jobs in sales and administration and office support have declined 16.1 and 8.7 percent, respectively.
Overall, the report makes a strong case for LA tech jobs, and several companies, including Repeat, GOAT Group, and Darling, are already tapping into the talent pool here.
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