The Apps Economy Has More Than 200,000 Unfilled Job Openings

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The demand for software developers needs to be met … one way or another.Becoming a software developer is the vogue career choice these days … but there are not enough developers to meet the demand across the United States.And the talent problem is only going to get worse.
According to its Six-Figure Salaries: Creating The Next Developer Workforce report, four out of the top five top-grossing app companies are not in Silicon Valley, with the Central and Eastern regions of the United States showing a very strong developer presence.
On a nationwide basis, the average salary for a developer is over $104,000, the App Association said. In some parts of the country, that can equate to at least twice the average regional salary or even more for those working at the tech powerhouses on the East and West Coast.
This is great news for developers.
The apps economy has created an unprecedented demand for people with the right skills and location is not the most important factor, the report said. A full 89% of all developers are not located in the Silicon Valley region. The generous salaries offered in Silicon Valley might seem attractive, but the cost of living in the Bay Area is notoriously high, leading to opportunity for other regions of the country to create innovation hotbeds.

The Need For Software Developers Has Never Been Greater

On the flip side, there is one cloud on the horizon—the growing talent gap in tech. Irrespective of how people seem to want to get into software development, there are hundreds of thousands of unfilled positions.
The App Association report estimated that there are currently over 223,000 openings for developers nationwide, with an apparent dearth of available talent across the board.

Every major U.S. city has opportunities for developers, especially in tech-centric regions such as the Bay Area, Boston, New York, Houston, Seattle and Los Angeles. For example, in San Francisco alone there were 6,095 jobs available in June and that does not include other Californian tech hotspots such as Palo Alto, Redwood City and Sunnyvale.
See also: 82% Of App Companies Are Not In Silicon Valley
With that in mind, the fact that demand is outstripping supply is not really a surprise. A Gartner report cited by CIO said that the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that by 2020 there will be 1.4 million computer specialist job openings and only enough qualified graduates to fill around 30% of these jobs.
“In every region of the country, there are more software developer openings than qualified people to fill them,” the report said. “The search to find this talent can be extremely challenging. Software companies can’t grow without bringing on new employees so competition is intense.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that a nationwide KPMG survey of 3,352 chief information officers found that high demand for certain skills had created a bottleneck of talent acquisition. Around 65% of people cite recruitment as a major problem, the KPMG survey said.
Experienced software and apps developers are seen as a crucial component in a company’s digital experience, but trying to find the right blend of experience and affordability just leaves companies desperate for talent. And the lack of available developers may have its origins in the education system.

Finding The Next Generation Of Developers

The App Association said that only one in eight U.S high schools are teaching their students AP computer science—an advanced object-orientated programming course that provides successful students with college credit.

Around 25,000 high schools were identified by the National Center for Education Statistics as providing basic computer science classes in the 2015-2016 school year, but the fact that just 13.2% of all high schools offer an advanced program accentuates a potential talent gap, said the report . Some companies are taking a proactive stance—Texas Instruments is committing $5.4 million to STEM education grants in 2016, Yahoo Finance reported—which means the old adage of getting kids interested in a potential career at an early age becomes more important.
Of the schools that do provide computer science classes, most are based in California, Texas or along the East Coast tech corridor. The lack of relevant classes being offered across the country essentially means that students who have not been encouraged to write code in primary or secondary school are unlikely to have the skills to opt for a computer science major in college, said the report.
“Startups and big companies offer generous salaries and perks to attract those with these skills,” said the App Association. “But the demand for talented developers far exceeds supply. This leaves tech companies of all sizes scrambling to find the employees they need to grow.”