TechSTL releases 2022 Tech Jobs Report Demonstrating Economic Bounceback

TechSTL, the recently formed Tech Council of Greater St. Louis, has released its inaugural Tech Jobs Report, highlighting the 2022 talent demand and current health of the workforce pipeline. The findings mark an upward shift in opportunity with the economy bouncing back from pre-pandemic to a 33% increase in job postings from 2021 and now surpassing 2019 by nearly 10,000 open positions.

The 2022 Report showcases the St. Louis tech talent pipeline with a breakdown of the key training partners and higher education institutions that feed the strongest four pathways, which are listed as; Geospatial, Cybersecurity, IT Support, and Software/Coding. Thanks to a recent Tech Workforce Survey that TechSTL conducted as part of the regional NSF Regional Innovation Engines effort, the research confirmed that the current capacity of the talent pipeline is at an average of 65%, which is good news for the region. This confirms that the pipeline can hold an additional 35% of students before it requires an expansion of resources, talent, and funding.

“While our regional partners work hard to meet the growing demand for tech talent, the data uncovered for our first annual Tech Jobs Report is certainly offering a hopeful look at what is to come in 2023. St. Louis is definitely in the right place, with the right players, and the right momentum to position ourselves as a major player in disruptive innovation. Recently ranked the 16th metro in the nation for talent migration, it is clear that opportunity is brewing in this region and TechSTL is grateful to be at the table with our more than 350 members,” shared Executive Director, Emily Hemingway.

In addition to the analysis outlying the talent pipeline, the Job Report incorporates data from JobsEQ Labor Market Research, in partnership with Greater St. Louis, Inc., to release the 2022 stats on active talent demand by type, sector, and company. Coming on the heels of the 2022 IT Labor Market Report released in September, the IT Labor Market Report defined the 32 federal tech occupations and an estimated 85,890 individuals comprising the MSA workforce as of 2021. Comparatively, the Tech Jobs Report reflects the 2022 demand for tech positions at 70,456, tied to 55 occupations and originating from 6,477 hiring organizations. The data identifies the top tech jobs posted in 2022, the average salary per job, and see how those St. Louis wages compare to national averages.

You’ll also find in the report a breakdown of the hard skills and certifications that are most in demand by employers across the metro. While the full data shared 368 certifications and 1,676 hard skills, the report only outlined the top 54 under each category to demonstrate the most sought after training in the current workforce. “Sharing the recent skill demand is extremely helpful for our training partners and tech professionals, as everyone is considering which new educational opportunities to invest in. When it comes to technology, there are so many different avenues to take, we hope that finally seeing how the market is driving talent demands improves the decisions that people are making across the region,” explained Hemingway.

The 2022 Tech Jobs Report is the first annual release of MSA job data that TechSTL has had the opportunity to share, since they are rounding the corner on their first year anniversary as an acting Tech Council. Launched from a U.S. EDA Grant under the leadership of the St. Louis Development Corporation, TechSTL is an independent 501(c)(6) membership-based organization with now over 350 active members, including non-profit organizations, for-profit companies, and individual professionals from across the 15-county bi-state region.

Learn more about TechSTL and how to join at https://techstl.com/