Job openings in computer science on the rise

In Washington State, where the tech industry remains a driving force in the local economy, you might think all the jobs for computer software engineers would be taken. According to the Job Vacancy Survey Report published last month, however, thats not the case.

In a list of occupations with the highest number of vacancies in the state, computer software engineers were at number 2, with 1,929 vacancies. Thats a tremendous increase from last fall, when computer software engineers and computer specialists ranked 12th and 13th respectively, accounting for only 840 job vacancies total. By contrast, registered nurses, who were at number 1 in both reports, remained steady.

In the list of job vacancies by major occupation group, vacancies in the computer and mathematical category also increased from 1,542 in 2009 to 3,538 in 2010.

Is this a sign that the tech industry is helping boost the economy by creating more jobs? Or, as I contended last month, is it an indication that local companies are having a tough time finding talent in the computer science field? Well follow up on this story, so stay tuned.

Jump for the full report from the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Note: The graph shows the total for all computer software engineering jobs, including subcategories in software development and applications.