Despite layoffs at some of the nation’s biggest tech companies, demand for tech workers in Indiana is high and growing, according to TechPoint’s inaugural workforce report.
The tech association is calling on state legislators to introduce training programs and incentives, and employers to focus on talent and change the way they hire to create a diverse workforce.
If Indiana doesn’t grow its tech powerhouse, it risks losing business to other states or companies leaving the state, said Dennis Trinkle, who leads TechPoint’s initiative to add 41,000 tech workers in Indiana by 2023. , its residents will not have good paying jobs.
“Talent has clearly emerged as a very important area for TechPoint to support in helping Indiana’s technology sector,” said Trinkle.
For subscribers:Indiana politics make it difficult for the tech industry to recruit and keep workers in the state
The report is the organization’s effort to track progress as employers and lawmakers address technology workforce challenges.
Short-term tech companies across the country are delaying hiring, but many workers are in high demand and could find work within months, experts say. But this slowdown has overshadowed long-term demand in an industry that continues to grow and replace jobs in manufacturing, manufacturing, warehousing and other major industries.
Indiana General Assembly:What to expect in the 2023 Indiana legislative session
Business leaders, charities and industry associations have warned of a growing divide between Hoosiers seeking increasingly digital jobs and higher education. The Governor’s Workforce Cabinet released a list of 30 recommendations to encourage Hoosiers to pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering and math, and to encourage graduates to stay in Indiana.
State lawmakers say improving education is a priority.
“The time has come to replace our 20th-century education model with one that better aligns the needs of students with the needs of the 21st-century economy,” House Speaker Todd Huston said in a speech on the day of the organization.
Beyond education, recruitment and retention are top concerns, especially for women and people of color, Trinkle said.
“If we don’t address it, we’re not going to have as many people as we need with technology,” he said. “So it’s about helping people realize there’s a place in technology earlier in life.”
Binghui Huang can be reached at 317-385-1595 or Bhuang@gannett.com.
