ITPalooza 2019 lands Thursday in Fort Lauderdale
South Florida businesses are hungry for tech talent — but you’re going to need the right type of experience to land the job, according to the latest annual survey from ITPalooza, the region’s largest tech-hiring event.
The annual poll finds only 56% of firms surveyed said they intend to hire in the coming year or are considjunior-level ering it, down from 91% last year. At the same time, 54% surveyed said they believe there are adequate information-technology opportunities in South Florida, the lowest level in at least three years.
“When companies are in pain, the person they want to fix that pain is a senior person,” said Alex Funkhouser, founder of ITPalooza and president of local entrepreneurship group TechLauderdale.
“What so many companies are challenged by is the resource — they can’t just step in and be productive.”
The poll comes in advance of ITPalooza, which is slated for Thursday at the Greater Fort Lauderdale-Broward County Convention Center, 1950 Eisenhower Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Registration begins at 8 a.m., and the programs, expo, and closing remarks run until 5:50 p.m. The VIP after-party and cocktail reception go from 5:50 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.
Featured programming includes speakers from Magic Leap, Royal Caribbean, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and a panel on filling the tech-talent gap. Newly named TechLauderdale CEO Cecil Kidd will also be on hand. Previously, Kidd was campus president of Keiser University’s College of Advanced Technology in Pembroke Pines and executive director of the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges.
Funkhouser said concerns about the economy, as well as outsourcing tech tasks, have become more commonplace and might be weighing on hiring decisions.
Among the bright spots for tech labor demand is cybersecurity, the poll found. About 150 businesses and individuals were surveyed.
“Massive cyberattacks by sophisticated cyber criminals [are requiring] stronger corporate defenses,” Funkhouser said.
More information can be found at www.itpalooza.org.
Rob Wile: 305-376-3203, rjwile