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Report: North Carolina companies need lots of I.T. workers

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A new report shows job openings for information technology positions in North Carolina are at a record high.

Every month, the NC Technology Associationreleases a snapshot of IT job postings — software engineers, project managers, and other roles.

There were more than 49,000 openings in North Carolina last month — a 38% increase from March 2021.

All kinds of companies are hiring, according to association CEO Brooks Raiford.

“Belk's department stores employ hundreds of tech workers, but those tech workers don't work for the tech industry,” Raiford said. "On the other hand, IBM employs hundreds of people, maybe thousands, in sales or administrative roles or HR roles. And they aren't tech workers, but they're employed by the tech sector."

Raiford says the trend is due to pent-up demand from the pandemic, as well as companies that are looking to set up IT infrastructure for remote work. Charlotte and the Triangle saw the most postings in March, but Raiford says there is a growing need in smaller cities.

“We’ve noticed that Greenville, Jacksonville, places that have a large military presence have done pretty well,” Raiford said. “You’ve got not just the military presence, but military families. So, spouses, people coming out of the military and into the private sector workforce.”

Bradley George is WUNC's AM reporter. A North Carolina native, his public radio career has taken him to Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville and most recently WUSF in Tampa. While there, he reported on the COVID-19 pandemic and was part of the station's Murrow award winning coverage of the 2020 election. Along the way, he has reported for NPR, Marketplace, The Takeaway, and the BBC World Service. Bradley is a graduate of Guilford College, where he majored in Theatre and German.
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