The analysis cites Amazon, Apple, and Tesla as three of the major employers in Texas pursuing AI initiatives. Photo via Getty Images

If internet search volume is an accurate barometer, Texas is a hotbed for interest in artificial intelligence jobs.

An analysis by Agility Writer, whose technology helps users produce AI-generated content, shows Texas ranks second among the states with the highest monthly search volume for AI-related jobs. The analysis puts Texas’ monthly search volume at 1,300, with California sitting in first place at 1,900 monthly searches.

“As the AI revolution continues to gain momentum, the geographic distribution of interest in AI careers is likely to evolve further, with states investing in AI education and fostering supportive ecosystems poised to reap the benefits of this transformative technology,” says Adam Yong, CEO of Agility Writer.

The analysis cites Amazon, Apple, and Tesla as three of the major employers in Texas pursuing AI initiatives.

Dice.com, a search engine for tech jobs, says AI roles that are in high demand include machine learning engineer, data scientist, AI research scientist, and robotics engineer.

“Looking forward, the demand for AI professionals is expected to intensify as technologies continue to advance and integrate into everyday business processes and consumer products. AI is not just creating jobs but also transforming them, requiring workers to adapt by gaining new skills,” says Dice.com.

A January 2024 report from career platform LinkedIn found that AI consultant and AI engineer are two of the 25 fastest-growing jobs in the U.S. this year. Most of these roles are concentrated in San Francisco, New York City, Washington, D.C.-Baltimore, and Boston, according to the report.

On the flip side, some analysts predict millions of jobs will be affected by or even lost to AI. For example, research from investment banking giant Goldman Sachs indicates roughly two-thirds of U.S. occupations “are exposed to some degree of automation by AI.”

A study released in 2023 by Chamber of Commerce, a business research company, anticipates as many as 12 percent of Houston-area workers could lose their jobs by 2027 due to AI.

"AI and technology in general may be taking certain jobs away, and yet we also see how it is changing the nature of jobs and even organizations and professions. In the ever-changing arena of AI, employees, job-seekers, and students will continue to adapt and learn new job skills that align with and anticipate workforce needs,” AI expert Fred Oswald, the Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences at Rice University and a professor of psychological sciences, said in a 2023 news release.

According to a new report, Houston's a growing hub for tech jobs. Photo via Getty Images

Report: Houston tech workforce sees steady growth

job market

The Houston metro area may not enjoy a national profile as a tech hub, but the region is a growing force in tech employment.

The State of the Tech Workforce report, released by the CompTIA trade group, found that the Houston metro area added 5,090 tech jobs in 2022. That put Houston at No. 9 among major U.S. metro areas for growth in tech jobs last year. Tech employment in the region grew 3.5 percent in 2022 versus 2021, compared with the national growth rate of 3.2 percent.

“In a year of even more uncertainty than usual, the tech labor market routinely defied expectations,” Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA, says in a news release. “The data continues to confirm the degree to which technology underpins so many facets of business activity across the economy and the breadth of employers reliant on technical and digital skills.”

CompTIA predicts the tech workforce in the Houston area will grow 2.2 percent this year, down more than a full percentage point from 2022. The projected growth rate would represent about 3,300 new jobs.

These are the tech jobs that CompTIA expects to see the biggest gains here in 2023:

  • Software developer
  • Software programmer
  • Web developer
  • Software quality assurance specialist
  • Database specialist
  • Data scientist
  • Computer scientist
  • Cybersecurity specialist
  • Systems engineer

The share of Houston-area job postings for roles in emerging technology or those requiring emerging-tech skills accounted for nearly one-fourth (24.4 percent) of the region’s job postings in 2022, the report says. These jobs are in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and blockchain.

An estimated 150,145 people work in tech-related jobs in Houston, with a median wage of $89,197, according to the report. That wage is 112 percent higher than the median wage for all occupations in the region.

The tech sector generates an estimated economic impact of $20.7 billion for the Houston metro area, making up 3.3 percent of the entire local economy, CompTIA says.

Houston saw the biggest year-over-year jump in tech job postings among the top 25 U.S. cities for tech job growth, according to this report. Photo via Getty Images

Houston ranks as the top market for tech job growth

By the numbers

Houston is experiencing a boom in tech employment.

A recent report from Dice, a job platform for the tech industry, says Houston saw the biggest year-over-year jump in tech job postings among the top 25 U.S. cities for those postings.

From January through October this year, the number of tech job postings in Houston soared 45.6 percent versus the same period a year earlier. That compares with a 22.8 percent statewide increase during the same time span.

“Although sometimes overshadowed by the cachet of Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio, Houston is absolutely a tech hub in its own right, attracting a mix of major tech companies and VC-backed startups to join its already established base of aerospace, defense, and energy companies,” Dice says.

For the one-year period covered by the Dice report, San Antonio witnessed a 17.3 percent rise in tech job postings, with Austin at 9.6 percent and Dallas at 7.7 percent.

In citing Houston’s astronomic showing, Dice notes that the region benefits from the presence of tech employers like Asurion, AWS, Fiserv, Dell, IBM, and Siemens, along with a number of venture-backed startups.

Top tech occupations in the Houston area include software developer/engineer, business analyst, .NET developer, data analyst/engineer/scientist, DevOps engineer, network engineer, and full stack engineer, according to Dice. The region’s average tech salary is $100,341.

More broadly, the Greater Houston Partnership forecasts healthy job growth in 2023 while noting that a recession could temper the growth.

A “short and shallow” recession in the first half of 2023 would mean a net gain of 60,800 jobs next year, the partnership says. If no recession hits Houston, that number could climb as high as 79,200 jobs. However, a prolonged recession would limit job growth to about 30,400 jobs.

The partnership predicts 2023 job growth will be strongest in the region’s construction, energy, government, health care, professional services, and restaurant sectors. Within the professional category, which includes tech services, the partnership anticipates the addition of anywhere from 2,000 to 7,900 new jobs next year.

Through the first 10 months of this year, the Houston area added 144,000 new jobs, according to data from the Texas Workforce Commission. In November, the region’s unemployment rate stood at 4 percent, down from 5.1 percent a year earlier.

“As we look ahead to 2023 and what the future has in store, I’m incredibly optimistic about Houston’s prospects, despite a possible recession,” Bob Harvey, president of the partnership, says in a news release. “We have our challenges — from ensuring we lead on the energy transition to effectively competing for top talent — but each time Houston has been underestimated, we’ve come out on top. I believe that will be the case once again.”

Houston's tech job force growth leads Texas, says the new report. Image via Getty Images

Houston tops Texas as No. 1 city for growth in tech jobs, says new report

plugged in

While a certain city tends to draw all the buzz as the top Texas tech hub — especially since Elon Musk moved there — Houston has just emerged as No. 1 in the Lone Star State regarding tech jobs.

A new report from Dice, an online platform for tech professionals, shows Houston No. 5 among major U.S. cities for the growth of tech job postings from the first half of 2021 to the first half of 2022.

Houston, says the Dice report, registered an increase of 83 percent — making it tops in Texas.

Elsewhere in Texas, San Antonio No. 6 among major U.S. cities (and No. 2 in Texas) with an increase of 80 percent. Dallas appeared at No. 15 on the list, recording a 58 percent growth rate for tech job postings. Surprisingly, Austin failed to make the top 25 in this category.

Overall, Orlando, Florida topped the list, boasting a 111 percent growth rate for tech job postings.

This news is hardly surprising for Houston. In March, as CultureMap reported, Houston landed at No. 2 on Blinds list of the best-paying Texas cities for software engineers. Here, the average annual salary is $111,625, and the average annual compensation is $137,987.

“Long before Austin became a magnet for jobs, there was Houston. Long a hub for the aerospace, defense, and energy industries, the aptly named Space City has been a go-to place for a job in tech,” Blind noted.

In October 2021, as CultureMap and sister site InnovationMap reported, employers in the Houston area posted openings for 14,714 tech jobs in the third quarter of 2021, which was up 44 percent from the same period last year. Through the first nine months of this 2021, Houston-area employers listed nearly 39,000 openings for tech positions.

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This article originally ran on CultureMap.

A new report ranks Texas as a top spot for tech workers. Photo via Getty Images

Texas ranks as top state for tech workers

techy texas

The Houston area can help wave Texas’ newly hoisted flag representing its status as the best state for tech workers.

A new study by IT service automation company SysAid analyzed several factors that affect a state’s desirability for tech workers, such as average internet speed and coverage, number of available tech jobs, and average industry salary compared with the state average. When all the data was tallied, Texas came out on top.

Here are a couple of data points that helped push Texas to the No. 1 position:

  • 31,110 tech jobs are available in the state, demonstrating significant demand for tech workers.
  • The typical tech salary is $103,370, more than double the state’s typical salary of $50,490.

As home to a bevy of tech companies like BMC Software, FlightAware, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HighRadius, and NetIQ, the Houston area certainly contributes to the state’s No. 1 standing. According to a report released in 2021 by the Greater Houston Partnership and Houston Exponential, the more than 8,800 tech-related businesses in the region help generate $28.1 billion in local GDP.

Statewide, the tech sector pumps $142.8 billion into the economy, according to a recent report from CompTIA, a trade group for the tech industry.

Ranked behind Texas in the SysAid study are four states viewed as tech rivals:

  • California, No. 2.
  • New York, No. 3.
  • Virginia, No. 4.
  • Florida, No. 5.

“Jobs in tech and IT are becoming more in demand, with typically high salaries making the jobs desirable and free courses in coding making the industry more accessible. The data reveals that it is easier in some states to work in tech than others, with demand and salaries varying massively between states,” SysAid says. “Texas tops our list as the best state to work in tech, and it is fascinating to see that California, home to Silicon Valley, is not [at the] top.”

The CompTIA report shows nearly 791,000 people work in Texas’ tech sector. Texas ranks first among all the states for the number of tech jobs (10,851) added in 2021 and second for the size of its tech workforce (behind California). Texas also ranks second, behind Florida, for the number of tech businesses (1,807) launched in 2021.

CompTIA projects Texas will rank second this year, behind California, for the number of tech jobs added (21,303).

“Unlike other would-be innovation hubs, [Texas] has been quietly nurturing high-tech industry for decades. If Texas eventually rivals California, the consequences could be momentous, not just for industry, but for U.S. politics,” according to a Bloomberg opinion piece published in 2021.

Houston was recognized as a growing hub for tech jobs. Photo via VioletaStoimenova/Getty Images

Now hiring: Houston companies are looking to fill thousands of tech positions, according to a new report

by the numbers

Houston isn't stereotypically viewed as a tech hub like Silicon Valley or Austin. Yet the Houston metro area's tech employment base continues to grow at an impressive hub-type pace.

According to CompTIA, a trade group for the IT industry, employers in the Houston area posted openings for 14,714 tech jobs in the third quarter of 2021, up 44 percent from the same period last year. Through the first nine months of this year, Houston-area employers listed nearly 39,000 openings for tech positions.

CompTIA says Microsoft was the most active Houston-area employer last month in terms of postings for tech jobs — 130. It was followed by Deloitte (115) and JPMorgan Chase (52).

Among the most in-demand positions in the Houston area are software developer, software quality assurance analyst, computer user support specialist, computer systems analyst, and database administrator, CompTIA says.

A report released earlier this year by CompTIA ranks Houston as the country's No. 1 metro area for the share of tech workers employed at non-tech businesses — 62.2 percent (compared with 34.8 percent in the Austin metro area). According to the Greater Houston Partnership, this figure helps explain why Houston "isn't a more visible tech hub."

CompTIA tallied 243,908 tech workers in Houston last year, putting it in 11th place for total tech employment among U.S. metro areas. That compares with 426,286 in the San Francisco metro area (No. 4) and 373,695 in Dallas-Fort Worth (No. 11).

The ranks of tech workers in Houston are expanding in part because of an influx of tech talent. Among major metro areas, Houston claimed the No. 2 spot for the next gain of tech workers (10.4 percent compared with the previous 12-month span) moving from other regions from March 2019 to February 2020, according to LinkedIn data cited by the Axios news website. Only Miami ranked higher (15.4 percent).

While Houston may not necessarily be the next Silicon Valley, it "is winning the competition to establish tech hubs in Texas," MarketWatchdeclared in July.

The article cites the move of the headquarters for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) from Silicon Valley to Spring as an example of Houston's ascendance in the tech economy. The HPE relocation "offers a vivid snapshot of a new tech frontier," MarketWatch observes, where the energy sector, major local universities, the Texas Medical Center, Mayor Sylvester Turner's office, and the local tech ecosystem are collaborating on cloud computing and other innovations.

"I want the rest of the world to know how much Houston is changing," Amy Chronis, managing director of Deloitte's Houston office, told MarketWatch. "The wakeup call was Amazon looking at candidates for HQ2, and Houston not making the second cut. Not enough technological talent was their reason. It was incorrect, but it lit a fire here."

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German biotech co. to relocate to Houston thanks to $4.75M CPRIT grant

money moves

Armed with a $4.75 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, a German biotech company will relocate to Houston to work on developing a cancer medicine that fights solid tumors.

Eisbach Bio is conducting a clinical trial of its EIS-12656 therapy at Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center. In September, the company announced its first patient had undergone EIS-12656 treatment. EIS-12656 works by suppressing cancer-related genome reorganization generated by DNA.

The funding from the cancer institute will support the second phase of the EIS-12656 trial, focusing on homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) tumors.

“HRD occurs when a cell loses its ability to repair double-strand DNA breaks, leading to genomic alterations and instability that can contribute to cancerous tumor growth,” says the institute.

HRD is a biomarker found in most advanced stages of ovarian cancer, according to Medical News Today. DNA constantly undergoes damage and repairs. One of the repair routes is the

homologous recombination repair (HRR) system.

Genetic mutations, specifically those in the BCRA1 and BCRA1 genes, cause an estimated 10 percent of cases of ovarian cancer, says Medical News Today.

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) says the Eisbach Bio funding will bolster the company’s “transformative approach to HRD tumor therapy, positioning Texas as a hub for innovative cancer treatments while expanding clinical options for HRD patients.”

The cancer institute also handed out grants to recruit several researchers to Houston:

  • $2 million to recruit Norihiro Goto from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to MD Anderson.
  • $2 million to recruit Xufeng Chen from New York University to MD Anderson.
  • $2 million to recruit Xiangdong Lv from MD Anderson to the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

In addition, the institute awarded:

  • $9,513,569 to Houston-based Marker Therapeutics for a first-phase study to develop T cell-based immunotherapy for treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer.
  • $2,499,990 to Lewis Foxhall of MD Anderson for a colorectal cancer screening program.
  • $1,499,997 to Abigail Zamorano of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston for a cervical cancer screening program.
  • $1,497,342 to Jennifer Minnix of MD Anderson for a lung cancer screening program in Northeast Texas.
  • $449,929 to Roger Zoorob of the Baylor College of Medicine for early prevention of lung cancer.

On November 20, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute granted funding of $89 million to an array of people and organizations involved in cancer prevention and research.

West Coast innovation organization unveils new location in Houston suburb to boost Texas tech ecosystem

plugging in

Leading innovation platform Plug and Play announced the opening of its new flagship Houston-area location in Sugar Land, which is its fourth location in Texas.

Plug and Play has accelerated over 2,700 startups globally last year with corporate partners that include Dell Technologies, Daikin, Microsoft, LG Chem, Shell, and Mercedes. The company’s portfolio includes PayPal, Dropbox, LendingClub, and Course Hero, with 8 percent of the portfolio valued at over $100 million.

The deal, which facilitated by the Sugar Land Office of Economic Development and Tourism, will bring a new office for the organization to Sugar Land Town Square with leasing and hiring between December and January. The official launch is slated for the first quarter of 2025, and will feature 15 startups announced on Selection Day.

"By expanding to Sugar Land, we’re creating a space where startups can access resources, build partnerships, and scale rapidly,” VP Growth Strategy at Plug and Play Sherif Saadawi says in a news release. “This location will help fuel Texas' innovation ecosystem, providing entrepreneurs with the tools and networks they need to drive real-world impact and contribute to the state’s technological and economic growth."

Plug and Play plans to hire four full-time equivalent employees and accelerate two startup batches per year. The focus will be on “smart cities,” which include energy, health, transportation, and mobility sectors. One Sugar Land City representative will serve as a board member.

“We are excited to welcome Plug and Play to Sugar Land,” Mayor of Sugar Land Joe Zimmerma adds. “This investment will help us connect with corporate contacts and experts in startups and businesses that would take us many years to reach on our own. It allows us to create a presence, attract investments and jobs to the city, and hopefully become a base of operations for some of these high-growth companies.”

The organization originally entered the Houston market in 2019 and now has locations in Bryan/College Station, Frisco, and Cedar Park in Texas.