About this Publication:

The Greater Pittsburgh Workforce Quarterly is a publication produced by ImaginePittsburgh.comand the

Pittsburgh Regional Alliance. These reports, publishedquarterly, analyze andpresent primary andsecond-
ary regional labor supply and demand data to informthe public of the evolving workforce landscape and
the challenges and opportunities they bear for the region. It is our hope that the reports present workforce
data in an easily digestible and visual way.
The demand data was made possible through a partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor
and Industry.
About the Partners:
ImaginePittsburgh.com is the Allegheny Conference on Community Developments talent attraction
and retention platformwith a unique job search engine at its core. The search engine pulls in open jobs
from over 900 different sources representing the open positions in the 10-county Pittsburgh region.
The Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA), markets the benefits of conducting business in southwestern
Pennsylvania to companies all over the world that are growing, relocating or expanding. The PRA also
works to support the growth of existing regional employers. Both ImaginePittsburgh.com and the
Pittsburgh Regional Alliance are affiliates of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.
For more information regarding this report, please contact:
Meredith Fahey
Project Manager, Workplace
Allegheny Conference on Community Development
mfahey@alleghenyconference.org
P: 412.281.4783
Imaginepittsburgh.com
The Greater Pittsburgh Workforce Quarterly Volume I, Issue I
IT-Related Careers:
Shifting Perceptions to Meet Demand
No longer does IT describe a specific industry focused
on information and computer technology; rather it is a
broadcollection of occupations that support a wide array
of industries. For example, 67%of all software developers
in the region were employed by the financial and busi-
ness services sector in 2012.
1
And according to Imag-
inePittsburgh.coms job search engine aggregator, nearly
57%of all open positions across all sectors require some
level of IT-related knowledge.
2
Nor do all IT-related jobs require a four-year degree.
Among 20 computer-related occupations identified by
the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA) the Pittsburgh
regions economic development marketing organization
seven do not require a four-year degree. In fact, web
developers, which require an associates degree, have ex-
perienced the fastest growth rate (21%) between 2007
and 2012 in the 10-county Pittsburgh region.
3
In advanced manufacturing, for example, Ashley Wellner,
director of manufacturingat Aerotech, a precision motion
control manufacturing company, explains the changes
hes seen: Todays modern manufacturingrelies on work-
ing smarter rather than working harder, Wellner says.
Modern production employees not only need to know
their trade, but in most cases are required to have an un-
derstanding of computer and programming skills.
There are IT-related opportunities available at all ed-
ucation levels, but those who wish to advance their
careers will need to be active and engaged learners,
he adds. Employees who are willing to continue
their education and training can leverage their in-
creased knowledge into higher wages and secure
long-term careers.
As IT-related occupations spread
across industries and education levels,
the IT sector itself remains strong and
is growing
The PRAcollects data annually on newbusiness invest-
ments and expansions in the 10-county Pittsburgh re-
gion. It found that in 2013, the IT sector experienced a
54.5% growth in the number of announced business
expansions andnewinvestment deals in the Pittsburgh
region called wins by the PRA. It was the highest
growth rate in six years.
4
This rate outpaced eds and
meds and financial and business services. The 51 an-
nouncements among IT companies are anticipated to
create 1,417 jobs over the next several years.
5
A com-
pany such as Computer Science Corporation recently
announced a $14 million investment that will add ap-
proximately 500newITandIT-support jobs in the city.
6
Since 2007, employment among software companies
grewby more than 26%andis projectedtocontinue its
healthy growth through 2022.
7
In2013, ITaccountedfor 27.5%of all announcedstartups
identified in the PRAs wins tracking.
8
Those startups
include Carnegie Robotics, which announced plans to
add 100 new jobs, and PHRQL, which plans to add 40
new jobs.
9
In 2011 (the most recent year for this data),
there were more than 150 IT-related patents granted in
Pittsburgh, twicethenumber grantedfiveyears earlier.
10
Naturally, IT-related employment is also growing in the
region. Between 2007 and 2012, computer-related oc-
cupations increased by 4.8%, more than twice the
growthratenationally. Thefastest growingoccupations
arewebdevelopers, whichgrew21%from2007through
2012, followed by database administrators, which had a
growth rate of 15%during the same time period.
57%
of all open positions across all sectors
require some level of technical knowledge.
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
IT-RELATED JOBS TOTAL JOBS
Advanced
Manufacturing
Financial &
Business Services
Energy
Healthcare &
Life Sciences
Information
Technology
Other
The Greater Pittsburgh Workforce Quarterly 1
Percentage of IT-Related Occupations vs Total Jobs
Todays modern manufacturing relies on
working smarter rather than working harder,
Ashley Wellner,
Director of Manufacturing, Aerotech
SOURCE: ImaginePittsburgh.com and Help Wanted Analytics
SOURCE: Economic Modeling Specialists Intl.
IT Related Business Investment Deals in 2013
Among the 20 top computer-related occupations, com-
puter systems analysts (15% of total), computer user
support specialists (14%), software developers (12%) and
network and computer systems administrators (10%) ac-
count for both the highest proportion of workers and the
highest numbers of open positions.
What does the supply-side look like?
In the 2010-2011 academic year, there were 181,018 un-
dergraduate and graduate students at 53 colleges,
universities and degree-granting post-secondary
schools in the region. The Pittsburgh region gradu-
ates more than 36,000 individuals every year, but is it
graduating enough IT-related talent?
In 2012, a total of 1,555 IT-related bachelors and grad-
uate degrees were awarded in the region, according
to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of that
total, 621 graduated with a bachelors degree and 934
graduated with a masters or doctorate degree. Com-
puter science degrees were the most prevalent at the
bachelors level with 208 conferred, and information
technology degrees were the most popular at the
masters level with 438 degrees awarded. In May
2014, there were more than 3,464 computer-related
jobs postings on ImaginePittsburgh.comthat required
at least a four-year degree.
Were seeing an increased need for information
technology skills. Weve been doing a lot of hiring of
computer science and computer engineering majors
and recruiting into our IT leadership development
program. says Katie Heinritz, BNY Mellons global
campus relations director. BNY Mellon is more than
an investments company; were really a tech com-
pany in disguise.
Less apparent is which IT-related jobs do not require
a four-year degree and charting clear career pathways
for those occupations. Of the 20largest computer-re-
lated occupations, seven do not require a four-year
degree. In the 10-county region, those seven occupa-
tions account for more than 1,000 open positions.
More than 800 of those open positions are in Al-
legheny County alone. The Three Rivers Workforce In-
vestment Board, which leads the public workforce
systemin Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, notes that
of 2,645 people who have identified themselves as
looking for jobs in IT, nearly 40%or 1,082, have a high
school diploma but less than a four-year degree.
51
Wins
54.5%
Increase from
2012
1,417
New Jobs
$26.1M
Capital
Investment
B
A
R
R
I
E
R
S
2
We need to invest in, promote and properly
value career andtechnical education andallow
it to become a pathway that people generally
acknowledge as one with many education out-
comes, including two-and four-year degrees.
Laura Fisher,
Senior Vice President,
Allegheny Conference on Community Development
Bachelor and
Graduate Degrees
Open Jobs
<
High School But Less
Than 4-Year Degree
Open Jobs
>
SOURCE: The Pittsburgh Regional Alliance
SOURCE: The National Center for Education Statistics, Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board
SOURCE: The National Center for Education Statistics
About the data in this publication:
Intended to provide a deeper understanding of workforce supply and demand and career opportunities, the Greater
Pittsburgh Workforce Quarterly uses a variety of data sources, including primary data, secondary data, proprietary
data, and government data. Primary sources may include surveys and interviews. Proprietary data used in these re-
ports comes from the Conference Board Help Wanted Online Data Series and Economic Modeling Specialists Intl.
Government sources include but are not limited to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis,
and the U.S. Census Bureau.
1
Computer Related Occupations Overview, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, 2013
2
According to an occupational report compiled by ImaginePittsburgh.com using the Conference Board Help Wanted Online Data Series, June 2014
3
Computer Related Occupations Overview, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and Economic Modeling Specialists Intl., 2013
4
Economic Development Trends 2007-2013 chart, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, March 2014
5
Ibid
6
Economic Development Data, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, 2013
7
Information and Communications Technology Sector Overview, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and Economic Modeling Specialists Intl., 2013
8
Economic Development Data, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, 2013
9
Ibid
10
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 2011
11
Computer Related Occupations Overview, Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and Economic Modeling Specialists Intl., 2013
12
Ibid
13
Ibid and Open Positions in Computer-Related Occupations, the Conference Board Help Wanted Online Data Series, June 2014
14
Education Analysis: Academic Year 2010-2011 Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, 2012
15
The National Center for Education Statistics, 2012
16
Ibid
17
Open Positions in Computer-Related Occupations, the Conference Board Help Wanted Online Data Series, June 2014
18
Ibid
19
The National Center for Education Statistics, 2012
Because most people think of IT-related careers as re-
quiring a four-year degree, there are few clear career
pathways for many IT-related jobs that require an asso-
ciates degree, certificate or other training. Additionally,
experts say there are not enough quality short-term
training programs to redirect and prepare individuals
who could fill such high-demand jobs as quality assur-
ance specialists or computer user support specialists.
There are currently 624 job postings for computer user
support specialists listed on ImaginePittsburgh.com, for
example, yet only 94 certifications and associates de-
grees were conferred in 2012 for that occupation.
We need to invest in, promote and properly value career
and technical education and allow it to become a path-
way that people generally acknowledge as one with
many education outcomes, including two - and four -
year degrees, says Laura Fisher, senior vice president at
the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.
Conclusion
It is clear that individuals no longer need a four-year de-
gree to work in IT-related jobs, nor do IT-related careers
exist only at such companies such as Google, IBMor Mi-
crosoft. IT-related careers must be thought of broadly
because well-compensated IT-related jobs exist in every
industry in nearly every company and at every education
level. As demand for these occupations continues to
grow, it is important for the region to graduate and train
more individuals, to develop and promote clear career
pathways for all, and to have industry at the table to ap-
propriately align supply to demand.
The Greater Pittsburgh Workforce Quarterly 3
11 STANWIX STREET, 17TH FLOOR | PITTSBURGH, PA 15222-1312
TOLL FREE: 1 (877) 392-1300 | PHONE: (OUTSIDE OF U.S. AND CANADA) +1 (412) 281-1890 | FAX: (412) 471-2554
EMAIL: ImaginePghInfo@PittsburghRegion.org