Top Cities for Information Professionals
In the battle for information technology professionals, some cities are better positioned than others to attract top talent.
What set these cities a part are their fast-growing information sectors, which spell opportunities for budding professionals and those looking to move up the career ladder.
Forbes recently compiled a list of the 10 metropolitan statistical areas with the fastest-growing information sectors, which includes software, publishing, broadcasting and telecommunications services.
In developing the list, Forbes focused on the 55 metro areas that have at least 10,000 information jobs and ranked them based on job growth from 2002 to 2013, 2008 to 2013, within the last two years and recently. Here is the top 10:
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif. Metropolitan Division
- Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, Mass. NECTA Division
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, Texas
- Madison, Wis.
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Ga.
- San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas
- Raleigh-Cary, N.C.
- Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, Ariz.
- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, Tenn.
A 2010 TechAmerica Foundation analysis of the high-tech industry in 60 U.S. cities found that states with multiple technology hubs have several things in common that attract the tech industry: strong research universities, a skilled workforce, an attractive quality of life and a tech-savvy population.
But even job-creating cities and states have their challenges. The Boston Globe explains in a recent article that while Massachusetts’ tech sector is growing fast, there is a shortage of qualified workers.
