Diversity & Inclusion
PHL: Most Diverse Tech Hub

5 stats to explain Philly tech’s diversity and job opportunities

How does Philadelphia compare to similar markets? Check out this snapshot, courtesy of our new Tech Economy Dashboard.

A scene from Technical.ly's Most Diverse Tech Hub event in Philly, November 2022. (Technical.ly photo)

How does Philadelphia compare to other tech markets in terms of diversity and opportunity?

Stakeholders including bootcamp leaders, nonprofit DEI pros and city officials gathered at a Tech Industry Partnership meeting this week to discuss how the region is doing in terms of tech jobs, demographic makeup and regional growth. Technical.ly shared some data from its Tech Economy Dashboard featuring proprietary data sourced by Lightcast.

Here are some of the most notable stats from the new dashboard:

1. Philly saw 5,415 tech job postings in July 2023 compared to 11,357 postings in July 2022.

Tech hiring in the Philly region has slowed down since last year. Big employers such as Lockheed Martin and Comcast are still active, but there’s talk in the industry about filling open roles more slowly.

2. Nearly 43% of software developers in Philadelphia are not white men, but only 4.4% are Black.

A third of Philly’s tech workers are software developers, or 28,783 people, as of 2022. Compared to peer cities Atlanta and Denver, Philadelphia has a relatively small number of Black software developers.

3. A full two-thirds of Philadelphia’s tech workforce is white.

Philly’s tech workforce is relatively diverse at a national level, but it is not the most diverse — cities such as Atlanta, Miami DC and Baltimore all beat us there.

4. 38% of respondents to a tech workers survey said they would be willing to relocate to the Philadelphia region.

A survey commissioned by the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia’s Select Greater Philadelphia found that the region is somewhere people could seriously see themselves living. Philly has a stronger case than other regions to recruit tech talent to the region, and its existing tech community is part of the reason why.

5. Business growth grew by 35% in Philadelphia last year.

Entrepreneurship had been declining nationally for 30 years before the pandemic boosted new biz applications to record highs. Philadelphia saw 30,000 new applications in 2022. This growth is mainly seen in non-tech industries — though plenty of companies that aren’t categorized as tech companies are using tech-enabled tools.

P.S. Want to join the next Tech Industry Partnership meeting? Email debora@technical.ly to get details.

Sarah Huffman is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.

This article appears as part of the Most Diverse Tech Hub initiative and is underwritten by the City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce. It was independently reported and not reviewed by this partner before publication.

Companies: Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia / Technical.ly

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