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Over the last 12 months, Denver’s technology sector has seen massive growth that is closing the gap between the city and longtime tech giants like San Francisco and Seattle.
Employment in the sector grew 7.5% compared to just 2% for all other sectors, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows. The city ranks fourth — after San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Seattle — in terms of developer employment, according to WeWork’s Flatiron School Industry Report: The State of Tech in Denver.
“We’re seeing dozens of companies come here,” Flatiron School Campus Director Josh Couper said. “It feels like a new chapter in the city right now.”
To help fill the positions those companies are creating in Denver, WeWork recently opened Flatiron School in The Hub in RiNo. Flatiron School is a global school that specializes in teaching 21st century skills like software engineering, data science and user experience/user interface design.
The school is at the forefront of skills training for today’s workforce and contributing to Denver’s growth as a tech hub by providing tech talent to the area, Couper said.
About 20 students participate in each 15-week program, which has a money-back guarantee if students don’t obtain employment within six months of completing it. Students put a few thousand dollars down on the $15K cost of the program and don’t pay anything more until they start a job that pays at least $40K.
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“Flatiron School was created so people can pursue a better life through education,” Couper said. “It allows people to change their careers and their lives.”
The average application developer salary in Denver is $103,370, according to the school’s report. Web developers earn $87,920, and systems developers make $127,440. And developers are in high demand in Denver. LinkedIn’s Workforce report shows that development tools are one of the top 10 skill shortages in Denver. As of May, there was an estimated shortage of about 8,607 people in Denver.
At least 31 technology companies have announced plans to expand or move into Denver — bringing thousands of jobs — since 2018. Among them are giants such as Amazon, Google, VF Corp. and Gusto. Smaller offices include JumpCloud, Xactly, Strava and Xero.
“People have relocated to Denver to join those companies,” Couper said. “Denver has a mix of great work-life balance, the outdoors and relatively affordable cost of living. Companies are seeing that people are flocking to Denver.”
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