Indy media buzzing about tech workforce report

Indy’s appetite for tech news is growing, and Indy media have served up some tasty tech news entrees over the past week!

Inside Indiana Business, the Indianapolis Business Journal and WIBC-Radio all covered the release of TechPoint’s second Workforce Report, which highlights the tech skills that are most in demand among tech employers and the continuing challenge of filling hundreds of open tech jobs.

In an in-studio TV interview with Gerry Dick on Inside Indiana Business, TechPoint President and CEO Mike Langellier, talked about some of the key finding in the report as well as some of the solutions to skills gaps such as TechPoint’s Xtern talent program. He also signaled to be on the lookout in the coming year for more cooperation among universities, and public and private community groups as they work together to address the challenges identified in the report.

Fast Facts:

• Did you know that tech jobs pay a median salary that is twice the median salary for the state of Indiana?
• Did you know software developers with computer-related skills in languages and technologies like SQL, JavaScript, Ruby, CSS3 and HTML5 are most in demand among Indiana tech employers?
• Did you know that employers are much more likely to “win” the competition for tech talent when job candidates have a personal connection to Indiana like a family member who lives in the state?

Jared Council, the money and tech reporter at The Indianapolis Business Journal, did a deeper dive into the tech workforce report’s compensation findings.

Jared asks the tough question: “So why are central Indiana employers with open tech positions having a tough time getting even their interns to accept job offers here?” It’s a fair question given reports that high-skilled tech jobs are going unfilled.

Read the article to find out the answer and be sure to check out the slightly flame-filled discussion thread about how Indy stacks up to other tech hubs around the country. It’s an interesting read that outlines the challenges Indy faces in the place-marketing quest for tech talent.

P.S. Jared gets a triple word score for using the word “vexing” in a headline!

The Morning News with Tony Katz on WIBC-Radio did an entire three minute segment with Gerry Dick talking about the workforce report. Tony seemed particularly interested in the salary information that tech workers make a median salary that’s twice that of all other occupations combined. The importance of the tech sector to Indiana’s overall economy and to the future of the state’s economy was not lost on the recent transplant from Los Angeles.

Check out the full Workforce Report: Defining the Demand – Tech Skills Central Indiana Companies Need to Grow.