The 10 Best and Worst Cities for Jobs in 2015 – No. 1 Best City for Jobs: Seattle, Washington

Forbes | Staff | Jan. 7

http://www.forbes.com/pictures/fjle45kfgk/no-1-best-city-for-jobs-seattle-washington/

“To determine the best and worst cities for jobs in 2015, personal finance site WalletHub looked at the 150 most populous cities across the U.S., measuring 16 metrics falling under the headings “job market” and “socioeconomic environment” for each. WalletHub used data from government agencies as well as information from Yelp, Indeed, and Gallup Healthways to consider factors for each metro include job opportunities, employment growth, monthly median starting salary, median annual income, time spent working and commuting, and housing affordability.”

See the report and full rankings here

 

Intel Pledges Diversity by 2020, Invests $300 Million

USA Today | Jessica Guynn | Jan 6

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/01/06/intel-diversity-brian-krzanich-keynote-ces-2015/21361475/

“Intel has set an aggressive goal of dramatically increasing the diversity of its U.S. workforce by 2020. It’s also pledging $300 million to fund the hiring and retention of women and underrepresented minorities, the largest investment yet in diversity by a technology company. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich made the announcement during his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. He said he was addressing the one word that could change the technology industry for the better: inclusion. “It’s time to step up and do more. It’s not good enough to say we value diversity,” Krzanich said. Intel will aim for its U.S. workforce at all levels to mirror the talent available in America in the next five years, and Krzanich said the compensation of Intel leaders would be directly tied to the progress they make in reaching that diversity goal…The company will also support hiring and retaining more women and underrepresented minorities and will fund programs to promote more positive representation of women and minorities in the technology and gaming industries.”

Latest local job postings for Intel

 

TinyPulse Raises $3.5 Million to Keep Employees Happy, Plans to Double Staff

Puget Sound Business Journal | Rachel Lerman | Dec. 31

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2014/12/tinypulse-raises-3-5-million-to-keep-employees.html?ana=e_tf&s=newsletter&ed=2014-12-31&u=ilbLUrKrU2/jjJJmX4zKbA08463807&t=1420227775

“Seattle startup TinyPulse gives companies that opportunity with a brief, weekly survey sent to employees to gauge their happiness. The company, led by Seattle entrepreneur and angel investor David Niu, announced a $3.5 million financing round Wednesday… TinyPulse employs 22 people, and Niu said he plans to double that number in the next year… Niu launched the company in 2012 after a six-month “career-action.”…He interviewed entrepreneurs and CEOs across the globe and kept hearing the same answer when he asked what could make their lives and jobs easier. “Despite geography, industry or company size, the most haunting feeling is when a key employee says ‘here is my two-week notice’ out of the blue,” he said. That inspired him to create TinyPulse to give employers a feel of employee happiness. The weekly survey asks employees one short question about salary, culture, general happiness at work, and anything else the employer wants to ask. It’s anonymous, and the results are compiled into reports for employers.”

Latest local job postings for TinyPulse

After $8M Funding Round, Shippable Seeks Software Engineer to Push Further into Enterprise

GeekWire | Monica Nickelsburg | Dec. 31

http://www.geekwire.com/2014/geekwork-8m-funding-round-shippable-seeks-software-engineer-push-enterprise/

“Last month Shippable announced an $8 million funding round led by Madrona Venture Group. The continuous delivery platform plans to use the funding to further push into the enterprise, and it needs talented engineers to help. Shippable is looking for one such engineer to develop sophisticated cloud and enterprise applications and implement disruptive features. Applicants with a strong computer science foundation, familiarity with at least one scripting language, and one or more years of relevant experience will be considered. “This isn’t a job — it’s a life changer,” writes Shippable.”

Contact page for latest Shippable careers

 

Amazon Adds Nearly 4 Million Square Feet of Seattle Office Space in 2014

Puget Sound Business Journal | Marc Stiles | Dec. 23

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2014/12/amazon-adds-nearly-4-million-square-feet-of.html?ana=e_du_pub&s=article_du&ed=2014-12-23&u=ilbLUrKrU2/jjJJmX4zKbA08463807&t=1419617680

“Amazon.com’s facilities director this year said the company will have 10 million square feet of office space– enough space for more than 71,000 employees – in Seattle in the next five years. Based on what the company did in 2014, Amazon is well on its way. The internet giant is under construction on two 38-story high-rise buildings, a meeting facility and a five-story “bubble” building that is bound to become a Seattle landmark, all on two downtown blocks…All total, Amazon is building or has leased more than 3.9 million square feet of office space in Seattle this year. This, combined with other space the company is currently occupying or plans to build totals just over 9 million square feet.”

Latest local job postings for Amazon

 

A Happy New Year Ahead for Tech Workers Who Want to Change Jobs

Fortune | Anne Fisher | Dec. 23

http://fortune.com/2014/12/23/tech-job-trends-2015/

“About 75% of 800 employers polled by tech job site Dice.com plan to add headcount in 2015, an all-time high for Dice’s semi-annual survey. And they’re in a hurry. Almost three-quarters (72%) hope to expand their IT departments by at least 10% right away, in the first two quarters of the year…Some skills are more desirable than others. Demand for cybersecurity experts, for instance, has shot up 77% since December 2013. And job openings for those familiar with open-source IT automation tool Puppet jumped 61% over last year. As more businesses try to analyze and interpret massive amounts of stored information, Hadoop skills came in at a close third, with 57% more help-wanted ads than last year. Jobs for people versed in Big Data and JIRL have increased since the end of 2013 by 56% and 55%, respectively…The explosion in demand means that techies tired of California, or of big East Coast cities like New York, have more choices.”

 

Seattle Startup Front Desk Raises $4 Million, Plans to Double Staff

Puget Sound Business Journal | Rachel Lerman | Dec. 22

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2014/12/seattle-startupfront-desk-raises-4-million-plans.html?ana=e_tf&s=newsletter&ed=2014-12-22&u=ls5d+7OJRUaWfkIJW6OjBA0fe38366&t=1419618654

“Front Desk announced Monday it has raised $4 million round…Total funding for the company, which is less than two years old, now stands at more than $11 million. Jon Zimmerman, the company’s co-founder, developed the personal services management system after helping to run a Crossfit gym…”If you have a good team and you’re working with investors you’ve worked with before and you can demonstrate some degree of traction in the market, Seattle is a good place to find funding,” he said. Front Desk will use the funding to build out its product and grow its team. The company now has 35 employees and plans to double that in the next year… Hiring is one of the biggest challenges tech companies in Seattle are facing, because of the steep competition for talent. Zimmerman said it has been competitive, but he feels Front Desk is in a good place to attract talent…Front Desk is focusing on building out its engineering and sales teams.”

Latest local job postings for Front Desk