Philly tech employers are looking for these 5 skills in 2019

Now that we know that Amazon won’t set up a 50,000-employee hub in Philly (or any other city, really, since the company decided to split its second headquarters in two), does that mean access to tech talent will get any easier?

A survey of 2,500 senior managers in 28 U.S. markets from Center City-based HR consulting firm Robert Half Technology says nope. The firm found that of 100 Philly-based tech execs surveyed, 70 percent plan to expand their teams in 2019, though a whopping 90 percent say it’s challenging to find IT talent locally.

To keep up with their needs, some 70 percent are planning to bring on project-based consultants. If  you’re planning a career move in tech for 2019, here’s the list of tech skills employers are on the lookout for:

1. Cloud security/cybersecurity
2. Business intelligence
3. Cloud architecture
4. Cloud computing
5. Virtualization

(A report from nonprofit think tank Economy League of Philadelphia said last year that 102,000 people in the region work in IT. Despite that, employers report feeling constrained by an undersupply of qualified, diverse candidates.)

Tim Mullane, district president for Robert Half Technology, said the undersupply of talent in the area means employers will be on the lookout for both staffers and specialized consultants.

“We’re seeing that companies already have a full pipeline for 2019,” Mullane said. “Many of them, specifically in the retail and healthcare industries, are looking to upgrade hardware and operating systems, as well as develop web and mobile applications. Many current projects are requiring changes to, or even new, ERP and CRM systems, and because these implementations require a specific skill set, many companies will be hiring.”