MARCH 13 — In the United States, remote working has prompted an exodus of technology workers from the traditional big hubs. Cities like Atlanta and Miami have lured these workers, often to the delight of local communities. But despite strong indicators of such decentralisation, the trend may slow down somewhat with the return to the office taking place in many regions and at many companies.

Experts anticipated a sustained exodus from urban centres over time, and with it that of tech workers. The pandemic has attracted them to regions outside the traditional big tech hubs in the United States, such as New York, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area.

According to a recent report from American think tank Brookings, remote workers in the tech field have been heading to other metropolises during the pandemic, such as Atlanta, Dallas, Miami and St. Louis. These cities are even referred to by the report as "Rising stars” of tech.

In 2020 alone, these cities showed "positive growth and add[ed] a combined 14,000 tech jobs.” These cities were already gaining traction before the pandemic; for example St. Louis saw its tech growth rate increase from 3.9 per cent (2015-2019) to 4.8 per cent in 2020.

The pandemic and remote working have, to some extent, redrawn the map of tech job geography. Workers have favoured smaller cities, sometimes to be closer to family or to prioritise material and mental comfort, or for monetary reasons. Florida, particularly Miami, has been particularly attractive to tech workers, thanks in part to a favourable tax policy.

As for the "superstar” cities mentioned in the report, the tech centres of Seattle, San Francisco and Austin saw their growth rate slow somewhat in 2020, with only New York creating more jobs than in previous years. Despite this, these cities have remained crucial technology hubs for the country and the sector.

Progress in workforce diversity

Interviewed by the media outlet Protocol.com, Mark Muro, one of the authors of the study, remains cautious regarding the importance of remote working in the increase in tech jobs in these medium-sized cities. ""I think that’s really an attraction for a sector that is under pressure to show progress on diversity,” he said.

He says the industry wants to diversify its talent and is approaching cities with respected public universities that can bring together a diverse and interesting pool of profiles. Atlanta is one such city, where Airbnb has invested in building a new technology centre and helping the city’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion develop more educational and training opportunities for the city’s children and young adults, Protocol.com reported in 2021.

Are we moving towards a decentralisation of tech centres?

The think tank brings a new perspective to the geographical tone of tech workers, which may be setting the tone for a likely trend in the sector in the coming months. "[T]he continued growth of the rising star metro areas — as well as accelerated job growth in dozens of other metro areas during the pandemic — suggests the possibility of a genuine adjustment of the nation’s highly concentrated tech geography in the coming years,” outline the report authors.

At present there remains significant concentration of jobs in tech hubs, and the return to the office is likely to bring back remote workers who left for other regions. Starting April 11, Apple will ask its US employees to return once a week, increasing to three times by the end of May. Microsoft has already asked its employees to make plans to return to the office in early April. — ETX Studio