Seattle is Paying the Most for Its Engineers

USA Today | Jon Swartz | July 20

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2017/07/20/software-engineers-high-demand-machine-learning-data-sciences-study/493739001/

“Demand for the nation’s more than 1.8 million software engineers has hundreds of companies scrambling for talent in machine learning and data sciences. The battle is pitched in coastal cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston and New York, where start-ups and established companies are dangling six-figure salaries, benefits and the chance to do interesting research, according to a study released today by LinkedIn…In the competition for engineers, Seattle — home of Amazon and Microsoft — has emerged as an aggressive bidder, offering $132,000 a year…The booming tech market expanded 2% last year to approximately 7.3 million workers as the digital economy continued to flourish in jobs for software, cybersecurity and cloud computing, according to Cyberstates 2017, an annual analysis of the nation’s tech industry by technology association CompTIA.”

Downtown Seattle’s Construction Boom Surges to New Record, With No End in Sight

Seattle Times | Mike Rosenberg | July 20

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/downtown-seattles-construction-boom-surges-to-new-record-with-no-end-in-sight/

“The demand for new housing and offices in Seattle’s core somehow keeps getting stronger, as the greater downtown region hits another record for construction. There are 74 major projects getting built from South Lake Union to Sodo, the most since the Downtown Seattle Association began tracking construction in 2005, the organization said in a report issued Thursday…Half of the projects underway now are scheduled to wrap up this year. But there are about 150 projects still in the pipeline, and about one-third of those are ready to break ground soon.”

Seattle Developers Compete in Apartment ‘Amenities Arms Race’

KING 5 | Ryan Takeo | July 20

http://www.king5.com/mobile/article/money/markets/real-estate/seattle-developers-compete-in-apartment-amenities-arms-race/457884223

“With more high-earning tech workers moving to the Seattle area every day, apartment buildings are trying to woo them with head-turning amenities. A report released earlier this year from the U.S. Census Bureau said the Seattle metro grew by 1,100 people per week from 2010 to 2016. Jim Goldberg with Red Propeller, a real estate development marketing firm, said in the industry the competition for the best apartment amenities is known as the “amenities arms race.” Developers say one goal of the amenities is to give those new to the area a sense of community.”

Look Out, Bay Area: Seattle Rises to 2nd Best Tech City in the U.S., Passing Washington D.C.

GeekWire | Nat Levy | July 18

https://www.geekwire.com/2017/look-bay-area-seattle-rises-2nd-best-tech-city-u-s-passing-washington-d-c/

“Seattle is now one of the top two tech markets in the nation, according to a new report from real estate services company CBRE, behind only San Francisco, thanks to booming homegrown companies and a vast roster of out-of-town companies setting up shop here to recruit the city’s highly educated talent base. CBRE’s annual Scoring Tech Talent report uses 13 metrics like number of tech employees, population trends, wages, education levels, housing and business costs to rank the top metro areas for tech. Seattle came in third last year behind San Francisco and Washington, D.C. “With the number of projects and moves on the horizon and a clear desire from both tech workers and corporations that are either willing to move or expand here, Seattle continues to be a desirable market for technology companies nationwide, driven by both the jobs that are being created in the market and the strong talent base coming out of the region,” said Matt Walters, first vice president with CBRE’s Technology and Media Practice Group in Seattle.”