Report: 86% of Metro Detroit Companies Plan to Hire Tech Talent in 2019

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About 86 percent of metro Detroit companies plan to hire tech talent in 2019, according to a survey by Accenture.

A new survey by Accenture, a professional services company based in Detroit, has reported that 86 percent of companies in metro Detroit plan to hire new tech talent in 2019, with one in five planning to increase their technology workforce by more than 50 percent.

The survey, “2019 Metro Detroit Technology Workforce Outlook,” is based on responses from 100 metro Detroit business leaders. The top three technical areas that companies are looking to hire for in metro Detroit include cybersecurity (68 percent), artificial intelligence (64 percent), and cloud expertise (58 percent).

About 72 percent of local business leaders said they are confident they will be able to secure the tech hires needed in 2019 from within the metro Detroit talent pool.

“The survey confirms a belief that many business leaders have about metro Detroit – Detroit is a technology city; we have the tech talent and jobs to become the next technology hub in the U.S.,” says Dan Garrison, office managing director – Detroit of Accenture. “Companies based in metro Detroit, including our clients, know that in order to succeed in today’s digital economy, they need to invest in innovation, and that starts with talent.”

About 69 percent of respondents said failing to hire tech talent will negatively impact the success of metro Detroit companies, with 24 percent saying they will face immediate failure if they do not hire technology talent within the next 12 months. About 45 percent of companies believe they will not be able to innovate at the pace if they can’t find the talent they need to cover the next 12 months.

Companies surveyed planned on doing the following to fulfill their tech needs for 2019:

  • 42 percent will use artificial intelligence or robots.
  • 37 percent will reskill current talent.
  • 32 percent will recruit gig-economy or contract workers.
  • 29 percent will leverage or create ecosystem alliances with external partners.
  • 28 percent will create an apprenticeship program.
  • 28 percent will buy a company to secure specialized skills.

Accenture Research conducted the survey of 100 companies in the Detroit metropolitan area online in November 2018. Business leaders interviewed included C-level executives, executive vice presidents, vice presidents, managing directors, directors, owners, partners, and general managers from a range of industries. The companies they represented varied in size from 10-100 employees to more than 20,000.

In June 2018, Accenture launched an innovation hub in metro Detroit that is designed to help companies in the automotive, industrial, equipment, technology, energy, and utilities industries address the shift to digital products and services. The company also committed to adding 200 highly-skilled technology jobs to the local market by the end of 2020, expanded its professional apprentice program with Grand Circus, and recently moved its corporate offices to downtown Detroit.