Migrating to where the jobs are has been going on long before Horace Greeley said “Go West ….” One would think that just about anywhere in the world, sans the deserts and jungles, and the occasional war zone, would provide good opportunities for any highly skilled tech person, male or female. Well, apparently, and I guess some might say “unfortunately”, that’s not the case.
Apparently, some cities in America offer more and perhaps better opportunities for women working the technology field. According to an annual report created by Smart Asset, a New York-based financial technology company, there are five cities ranking as the best places to be if you are a woman in tech:
- Washington, DC
- Kansas City, MO
- Baltimore, MD
- Indianapolis, IN
- New Orleans, LA
As a basis for its research, Smart Asset looked at data from the US Census Bureau related to 59 of the largest US cities. The research takes into consideration the tech industry gender pay gap, income after housing costs, tech jobs filled by women, and four-year employment growth to rank each city.
For the third year in a row, Washington, DC, came out on top, but the researchers didn't find or offer reasons why. The city has a large percentage of female employees in tech, at about 41%. AJ Smith, vice president of content at Smart Asset, just offers, "It really shows there's something happening there."
Kansas City came in second. The researchers found that the city has no tech industry gender pay gap and women in technology typically earn more than male counterparts. Women holding computer and mathematical jobs make, on average, $69,770. This comes out to be typically $2,300 more than men with comparable jobs. An interesting note, the study found Kansas City lacking when it comes to filling a growing number of tech jobs with women. In 2016, women made up about 30%, compared to 34% in 2014.
Baltimore took third place, reportedly because of an increase in its tech workforce, e.g., of 12,400 tech jobs added between 2012 and 2015, women made up 32.5%. According to research, that’s a 28.5% increase in 2016.
Indianapolis and New Orleans came in fourth and fifth, respectively. Kansas City also has no tech gender pay gap while New Orleans has been exhibiting significant job growth. Tech jobs in New Orleans grew by 32% from 2012 to 2015, so says the study
This is where the market, at least by this study’s findings, stands now. As certain tech initiatives ramp up, such as the IoT, industrial, commercial, and consumer automation, etc., we may see more golden opportunities on a global basis. And we can only hope those opportunities will be equally available to all who seek them. ~MD