Columbus Named a Best City for IT Jobs

Based on internal data gathered by the IT staffing firm, Modis, Columbus ranks as the third of seven best cities within the US to find an IT job right now.

While each of the seven cities on the list (which was led by Houston) demonstrated unique characteristics, there were several common characteristics shared by all.  These included an overall increased confidence in the economy, and companies that are beginning to invest in new projects to stay competitive.  Business application developers using Java or .NET technologies, business analysts and mobile app developers for handheld and tablet platforms are in most demand right now.

Here’s what the survey indicated about Central Ohio: 
Overall unemployment: 8.2 percent
Hot industries/sectors: Healthcare, Financial Services, Insurance, Retail
Skills/jobs in demand: Project Management, Business Analysis, Web Development (Java and .Net), Quality Assurance.

Why Columbus? Improved confidence in the economy and built up demand from when the economy wasn’t doing as well is creating more IT jobs in Columbus. Companies need to maintain their competitive edge within their industries and the longer they don’t push projects forward, the further they fall behind the competition.

Modis took into account factors such as the number of job openings over the past quarter, growing industries in the area and the intensity in the war for top talent in each of these cities.
Modis also noted that with demand for candidates growing, the war for qualified talent is beginning to heat up. Many companies face challenges filling positions quickly with candidates who possess the right skills and experience.

For full details, see the story as reported on Forbes.com.