As the tech industry continues to expand at a rapid rate throughout the world, tech-hub cities become increasingly important to job seekers. The west coast’s Bay Area has been a longstanding top-of-the-list contender for technology-dense cultures, but its high cost of living is opening doors for new champions. Austin and its surrounding area’s culture and business-friendly climate have pushed the city into a position to take over as the reigning tech queen of the U.S. For the second year in a row, Wall Street Journal has named Austin as the hottest job market in the country with the tech boom taking much credit. Places such as Leander and Liberty Hill also get to take advantage of the growth but maintain a small town distance.
Among 381 major metropolitan areas across the country, Austin landed among the best in job markets. Using metrics such as unemployment rates, workforce participation rates, job growth rates, workforce growth rates, and wage growth rates, the Central Texas city was consistently above average. In every category, it outperformed the status quo throughout the U.S.
With such prominence and noted growth, it cannot be overlooked that the major employers in the area are technology companies. According to a research report from Indeed, Austin is the top job market in the technology industry. The transformation from a simple live music capital to an essential leading tech hub city is due to significant enterprises such as Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Indeed settling into the capital’s landscape.
These technology giants certainly draw a long line of high-quality candidates, but business alone cannot maintain a steady supply of job seekers. Within a business-friendly climate, technology employers have been able to leverage Austin’s incredible quality of life. Its character traits of “weird” and “Live Music Capital of the World” have played a considerable role in attracting both job creators and seekers. Today’s workforce is shifting to a majority of Millennials and Gen Z’s who put quality of life, environment standards, and active lifestyle opportunities as top priorities when choosing a place to live.
With nearby towns such as Leander, Liberty Hill, Georgetown, Cedar Park, and Round Rock, young professionals also have a variety of lifestyle options. For those in the outlying areas, it’s an easy commute to giant tech firms such as Apple, cost of living is lower, and residents still have a small town fee with access to big city amenities.
If you are considering a move to or within Austin, consider The Cummings Team® as your go-to local expert. We’d be honored to help in any way we can.
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