October 15, 2019

Charleston's Tech Economy Continues Trending Upward in 2019

Charleston Digital News

Companies forecast robust hiring in the year ahead

In its Annual Wage and Job Growth Survey, the Charleston Digital Corridor is pleased to report that the region's tech economy continues to demonstrate strength in earnings and job growth. The average annual wage for companies participating in the 2019 survey is $93,183. This number once again represents over twice the State and Regional average wage levels of $43,210 and $46,200 respectively, according to the latest figures available from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Just over 54% of the companies participating in the annual survey reported that they have added jobs in 2019 with 91% expecting to continue hiring into the next calendar year. Further, the tech economy has expanded on CharlestonWorks with 473 businesses, up from 444 tech and tech-related companies in December 2018.

In addition to elevated levels of in-migration of technical professionals to Charleston in recent years, the increased education offerings in computer sciences and systems engineering continues to position Charleston as an attractive community for technology companies seeking to expand and/or relocate to the region.

"We are keenly aware of the growth of the tech sector in Charleston and are committed to meeting the needs of this high-wage industry by developing and expanding our curriculum to align with the success of the tech companies in our region," said Sebastian van Delden, Interim Dean and Professor, College of Charleston School of Sciences and Mathematics.

"As a company positioned for high growth, talent acquisition is our single most important issue. We very much appreciate the increased enrollment in the College of Charleston's computer science programs and the Digital Corridor's focus on advocacy related to talent development," said Omatic Software Chief Executive, Daniel Kim.