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Tech jobs in Pittsburgh are up, but there’s a disconnect: Job seekers say they still face a hiring drought.
The job hunt is taking longer these days, with more candidates on the market and drawn-out hiring processes that can make the search last several months, hiring experts say. Plus, employers are looking for candidates with very specific qualifications – skills that entry-level workers often don’t have.
“I’m not very confident about finding a job, honestly,” Aaron Escobar, a recent University of Pittsburgh graduate, told Technical.ly. “Jobs keep not getting back to me, and I’ve been thinking, at this point, maybe it’s just a better option to get some random job for a year and go get my master’s next fall semester.”
So, he left Pittsburgh to try somewhere else.
Escobar’s bachelor’s degree in digital narrative and interactive science combines computer science and English studies. He began searching for a job in December 2024, while still in school. By July of this year, when he hadn’t found anything, he decided to move back to California to save on living expenses.
Escobar isn’t alone. Other local students and recent grads have expressed concerns about finding entry-level jobs in today’s market, too.
The current job market reflects companies’ desires to focus on strategic rather than expansive hiring, Kelly Fetick, founder of tech recruitment firm Landis Consulting Group, said. Those conditions lead to a deliberately slower and more competitive hiring process, even as the number of tech job postings in Pittsburgh hovers above last year’s levels.
“Many of the openings that exist are in highly specialized areas – AI, ML, cloud, cybersecurity – and not everyone coming into the market has that background,” Fetick told Technical.ly. “It’s not just a numbers game, it’s a skills match issue, too.”
Even seasoned professionals are struggling in today’s job market, but connections, not just experience, are setting them apart from recent grads.
It’s who you know, not what you know
For more experienced tech workers, job seeking can still be a months-long process, but an existing network is what’s cutting down those search times.
Levon Ritter, a Pittsburgh-based software developer with five years of experience, was laid off twice in a year. Ritter’s first job hunt after his employer shut down took him roughly seven months, but when he landed a position, he thought he was in the clear.
When he was laid off again just a couple of months later due to the company’s decline in revenue, Ritter ramped up his job search, putting in 25 to 50 applications per week over two and a half months.
“It felt like a full-time job,” Ritter said, and many of those roles were based outside of Pittsburgh. Employers prefer Seattle, New York or San Francisco instead.
When Ritter posted on the Pittsburgh Reddit page about his experience, more than 100 comments chimed in to air their own grievances, too.
What actually works in the job search? Real connections.
“Having a large network is great — and almost essential at this point,” a top comment on the Reddit thread said. “Many of these positions are being filled by referrals and the public doesn’t really have a shot.”
Old coworkers and other connections who could vouch for Ritter have made a real difference during the job search process, he said, which helped him land a new job last month.
Success depends on where you specialize
Pittsburgh is largely mirroring national job market trends, Fetick said.
An analysis in August by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the number of job seekers exceeded the number of openings. However, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate of 4% sits below the national rate of 4.3%.
But that lower rate doesn’t account for underemployment. Some recent grads are settling for part-time work while navigating the slow job market.
Heena Barhate has applied to over 500 jobs since graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in December. She received a master’s degree in integrated innovation for products and services, a combination of product and user experience design.
AI and cybersecurity may be booming, but Barhate says Pittsburgh offers fewer opportunities for her specialized skill set.
“Finding full-time work has been challenging, especially because I’m looking for niche roles in product design and I need visa sponsorship in the future,” Barhate said. “I don’t have a plan B, other than going back to my country, but I feel something will work out for sure.”
Data suggests Barhate may have a reason for that optimism.
In Allegheny County, most tech occupations are expected to grow by 2032, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. A majority of that growth will come from newly created positions and current workers exiting the labor force in the next several years.
The projections are most optimistic about software development and computer system analyst roles, though, and it doesn’t bode well for all tech jobs. Computer programmer positions are expected to shrink by roughly 8%, along with engineering technician roles.
Despite these challenges, some still say Pittsburgh’s tech scene is set up for steady growth — but only with the right investments.
“The pace may be slower right now, but our foundation is strong,” tech recruiter Fetick said. “As new technologies mature and companies continue to invest in the region, I believe our city is well-positioned for long-term growth and success.”
Alice Crow is the lead Pittsburgh reporter for Technical.ly. She joined the newsroom in September 2024 after working as a reporter for the Waco Tribune-Herald, where she covered city government, health and education.
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