LA's Tech Talent Pipeline

Investing in a thriving Tech workforce pipeline for Los Angeles

There are 5.2 million workers in the greater Los Angeles region who have LinkedIn profiles. Of this total, 244,000 (5%) self-identify as part of the tech workforce and stand to strengthen our collective ability to grow the local tech economy, and bolster the Tech Talent Pipeline towards successful career roles in Los Angeles.   
In this snapshot, we begin a data-collection foundation to frame our investments in supporting the Tech Talent Pipeline. As such, we worked with LinkedIn — which operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 500 million members — to identify greater Los Angeles region talent[1] that self-identified as part of the tech workforce, which was defined by LinkedIn based on the type of job title/function they have within the company they currently work for, and is limited to software and information technology related job titles/functions. 
Member information was anonymized and used to ascertain educational and employment history. At the same time, LinkedIn also provided information on employers in the greater Los Angeles region to understand current levels of tech hiring and the skills most sought[2].
The findings are part of a preliminary phase of research that will result in a comprehensive report on the status of Los Angeles’ tech talent pipeline, which would inform the strategic plan of the City’s Workforce Development Board and Economic and Workforce Development Department (EWDD), local community colleges, and other local educational institutions.

[1]LinkedIn regions in the US are defined based on Nielsen's DMA. DMA (Designated Market Area) regions are the geographic areas in the United States in which local television viewing is measured by The Nielsen Company. The DMA data are essential for any marketer, researcher, or organization seeking to utilize standardized geographic areas within their business. More info can be found here http://www.nielsen.com/intl-campaigns/us/dma-maps.html
[2] Tech-Talent is defined by looking at members’ profiles and their current active positions at the companies they work for. We only include members working in an information technology related job/function regardless of the industry of the company they work for. This helps exclude irrelevant members with tech skills that are not working in a tech function (e.g. accountant, financial analyst).
We invite you to learn how we hope that data-driven insights can enable job seekers, employers, educators and policymakers in aligning education pathways and business practices with the dynamic demands of the L.A. tech landscape.

Tech Industry Landscape

4 out of 5 of L.A. tech members are not in tech companies

While Tech has historically been thought of as a singular industry, we are finding more and more that the digital revolution has changed the way in which technology skills are integrated across all sectors of our economy.
In Los Angeles, 80% of tech occupations can be found outside of the Software and IT Services, with the largest concentrations in the manufacturing, healthcare, education, and entertainment industry sectors.
Tech roles in non-technology companies in L.A. are plentiful and suitable for tech-talent looking beyond traditional roles within technology companies. As such, we need to work collaboratively to build private and public partnerships that connect the Pipeline to this growing demand. 

Top Tech Job Titles and Skills

While Tech jobs are spread across industries, it is notable that Software Developer is still the most common job title, accounting for approximately 36% of L.A.’s tech hires — in 2016-2017 and is associated with a broad range of skill sets.
[1] LinkedIn defines job titles by grouping similar titles listed on member profiles. For instance, Associate Software Developer, Senior Software Developer, and similar titles would be aggregated under Software Developer
This finding was consistent across comparison regions studied in this report — like Austin, San Francisco, and Chicago. Further, following Software Developer, IT Consultants and IT Support Specialists were among the most common positions across all regions.

Employers

Overall, there are 456,000 companies represented in L.A. on LinkedIn. Of these companies, 46,000 companies (10%) currently employ tech talent. Moreover, about one-third of these companies hired tech talent in 2016 - 2017.
Top 20 Companies Hiring Tech Talent in LA 2016-2017

Multiple Pathways into Tech

Four-year degrees may be the most common career pathway into tech, but they are by no means the only pathway.  Community colleges and vocational skills-based training (like boot camps), are also strong components of the tech talent pipeline. Based on this LinkedIn snapshot of the “Greater Los Angeles” tech talent, over 30% of members did not list a four-year degree on their profiles, which is higher when measured against other comparable tech hubs like San Francisco Bay Area, Greater New York City Area, and Greater Chicago Area.
What is clear is that in Los Angeles, community colleges and vocational skills-based training produces tech talent to match business needs.
At the same time, Los Angeles has the highest percentage of members who had no educational background listed on their profiles, with 6,000 of them listing professional certifications. Online technology and coding boot camps tend to be the most popular medium of choice to break into the technology industry.
 * Formal education: High school or higher.
Even more telling of the multiple pathways into tech, is that Tech members’ fields of study vary greatly. Of tech talent with formal education, a majority of those members hold degrees in non-computer related fields.

Retaining LA’s Tech Talent

CALL TO ACTION: L.A.’s tech talent pool competes for tech roles in L.A. and beyond. Only 37% of the jobs L.A. tech members applied for, are in LA. 

Investing in Los Angeles’ Tech Talent Pipeline

Tech Career Pathways Initiative
We are launching the L.A. Tech Talent Pipeline, a new initiative led by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to build the next generation of homegrown talent for one of our city’s fastest-growing sectors. The mission of L.A. Tech Talent Pipeline is to influence how the City, County, schools, colleges, and workforce development systems create and expand tech curriculum, training, and employment opportunities for a stronger and more equitable economy.
Mayoral Tech Education & Workforce Committee
As part of L.A. Tech Talent Pipeline, Mayor Garcetti has created a Special Committee on Tech Talent & Training, led by top and innovative tech companies committed to carrying out our collective mission. The Special Committee is chaired by Sean Arian, a member of Mayor’s Tech Council and founder and president of the Bixel Exchange. The L.A. Tech Talent Pipeline launches in partnership with the Center for Innovation and Technology (Bixel Exchange) of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce.
Hire LA Youth Interns 
The L.A. Tech Talent Pipeline supports HIRE LA’s Youth, a flagship program to provide job opportunities for Angelenos between the ages of 14 and 24. The program is a key component of the Youth Workforce Development System in the City and County of Los Angeles, and a signature element of Mayor’s agenda to strengthen L.A.’s economy. The initiative also supports youth and young adults in our local community colleges. The program provides career exploration opportunities to low-income youth — specific opportunities are targeted to first-generation, foster youth, young people from low-income families, as well as homeless youth, youth on probation, and youth receiving General Relief.
If you’re a company in need of diverse talent, Bixel Exchange connects local technology companies to young Angelenos via year-round career experiences such as career fairs, company tours, classroom visits, professional development workshops, mock interviews, and internships.
The Mayor has set a new goal to hire 20,000 young people for employment every year by 2020, and the L.A. Tech Talent Pipeline will be critical in reaching this milestone. If you are a tech employer who wants to open doors of opportunity for young people, please visit HIRE LA’s Youth and Bixel Exchange to get involved!

Partners

Appendix and Methodology

  1. Greater Los Angeles Area: LinkedIn regions in the US are defined based on Nielsen's DMA. DMA (Designated Market Area) regions are the geographic areas in the United States in which local television viewing is measured by The Nielsen Company. The DMA data are essential for any marketer, researcher, or organization seeking to utilize standardized geographic areas within their business. More info can be found here http://www.nielsen.com/intl-campaigns/us/dma-maps.html
  2. Tech- Talent: Tech-Talent is defined by looking at members’ profiles and their current active positions at the companies they work for. We only include members working in a computer tech related job/function regardless of the industry of the company they work for. This helps exclude irrelevant members with tech skills that are not working in a tech function (e.g. accountant, financial analyst).
  3. LinkedIn defines job titles by grouping similar titles listed on member profiles. For instance, Associate Software Developer, Senior Software Developer, and similar titles would be aggregated under Software Developer
  4. 2016-2017 hiring spans from January 2016 to May 2017