Press Releases

Game On: Kansas City and San Francisco highlight breadth of tech workforce

Feb 6, 2024

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. – As the highly anticipated contest between Kansas City and San Francisco approaches, CompTIA looks beyond gameday to the impact of tech throughout the year in these well-respected cities. 

The U.S. tech sector and accompanying tech workforce is expansive, with tech underpinning innovation, business and labor markets across every region of the country. Longstanding mega tech hubs such as San Francisco, coupled with mid-major tech hubs such as Kansas City, powers the technology growth engine.

“To meet long-term workforce needs, we must continue to expand and diversify the tech talent pipeline,” said Hannah Johnson, senior vice president, tech talent programs, CompTIA. “There are many pathways into technology careers and we want to generate as much excitement and passion for working in tech as winning on the field.”

Key Tech Impact Stats[1]

Kansas City

San Francisco

Net tech employment

74,404

350,662

Net tech employment as % of regional workforce

7%

14%

Economic impact (direct)

$13.4b

$176.2b

Economic impact as a % of overall

9%

27%

Tech business establishments

4,418

10,638

 

Despite the size difference with the population of the San Francisco metro area more than three times larger than Kansas City, the two regions have very similar profiles of tech talent needs.

According to the latest hiring intent data[2], the positions Kansas City employers are most looking to fill include Software Developers, Tech Support Specialists, Systems Analysts/Engineers, Cybersecurity Analysts/Engineers and Data Scientists.

In comparison, positions San Francisco employers are most looking to fill include Software Developers, Data Scientists, Tech Support Specialists, Systems Analysts/Engineers, Web Developers.

The two markets align when examining the industry sectors currently hiring for tech job roles. Professional, scientific and technical services holds the top spot in both Kansas City and San Francisco, with some divergence in the ranking of the next four: administrative and support services, finance and insurance, information, software and media and manufacturing.

Employers in both cities are also aggressively recruiting to fill job roles outside the IT staff that require digital fluency. Over a 30-day period this year there were about 9,200 job postings in Kansas City and nearly 16,500 in San Francisco that required digital skills for positions in office and administrative support, business and financial operations, sales, healthcare and other occupations.

About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world’s leading information technology (IT) certification and training body. CompTIA is a mission-driven organization committed to unlocking the potential of every student, career changer or professional seeking to begin or advance in a technology career. Millions of current and aspiring technology workers around the world rely on CompTIA for the training, education and professional certifications that give them the confidence and skills to work in tech. https://www.comptia.org/

Media Contact
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
[email protected]
630.678.8468



[1] Source: CompTIA State of the Tech Workforce 2023 | Net tech employment represents the net of tech sector and tech occupation employment | See methodology for full details on each metric

[2] CompTIA analysis of Lightcast employer job posting data