Monday Morning Impact – April 11

CompTIA: US Adds Tech Jobs in the Midst of Pandemic

Technology-related employment increased in 44 states in 2021, according to a new report from CompTIA, an IT trade association based in suburban Chicago.

According to CompTIA’s “State of the Tech Workforce” report, employment increased by approximately 80,000 workers in 2021, a positive gain over the flat performance in 2020. Job growth was slower than expected as the nation navigated through year two of a pandemic, but the tech industry avoided the severe job losses that affected many other sectors.

Nearly 8.7 million people work in core tech-related occupations across the country, with tens of millions more employed as digital knowledge workers, according to the report. The tech industry accounts for 9.3% of direct value in the U.S. economy – more than $1.8 trillion.

CompTIA estimates a 2% increase – nearly 178,000 new jobs – in 2022, with 48 states projected to add tech workers. Data scientists and analysts (4.3%), cybersecurity professionals (4%), software developers (3.9%), and computer and information research scientists (3.5%) lead the list of occupations expected to see strong growth in 2022.

“The data speaks to the ever-evolving tech workforce and its far-reaching impact across the national, state and metro area economies,” said Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA. “As always the results are impressive but also a reminder of the collective effort of workers, employers, educators and industry and government organizations to build and sustain a healthy, dynamic tech workforce.”

Texas (+10,851 new jobs) and Florida (+10,522) outpaced all other states in tech job gains in 2021, followed by California (+5,165), North Carolina (+5,004) and Washington (+4,469).

At the metro level, employers in the Dallas-Fort-Worth-Arlington region added more technology workers (5,321) than any other market in the country. That total was more than double that of the next closest market, Seattle, where 2,651 tech jobs were added. Denver, Miami, Austin and Salt Lake City also recorded impressive growth.

The number of tech business establishments across the country increased by 5.3% in 2021, the equivalent of 25,500 businesses.

Channel Impact^®
The data offer a positive outlook for the tech industry at large, underscoring solid business fundamentals driving that growth.

Zoom Announces Next Evolution of Global Partner Program

Zoom Video Communications, Inc. has launched its Zoom Up Partner Program, a global partner framework that rewards partners for their continued investments in Zoom, introduces new ways to engage and leverage the Zoom Platform, and offers the resale of Zoom Phone with Zoom calling plans for qualified partners in select countries.

“Our partners are fundamental to our growth and success at Zoom, which is why we are constantly evaluating new ways to improve and offer additional benefits to our partner ecosystem,” said Laura Padilla, Head of Global Business Development and Channel at Zoom. “The introduction of Zoom Up is the next phase in our continued evolution and demonstrates our commitment to joint success with our partners.”

The newly redesigned Partner investment Program aligns partner rewards with the partner’s level of investment in Zoom, thereby incentivizing continued growth.

New competencies and accreditations have also been added, thus providing a clear roadmap to how partners can further develop their desired areas of expertise.

The new Zoom Up Partner Program provides additional marketing benefits and resources for partners, including a Partner Demand Center to support demand generation, and to additional marketing development funds targeting the highest levels of the program.

Channel Impact^®
The program framework is expected to enable further alignment and cohesiveness between Zoom and its base of resellers, carriers, distributors, ISV, Master Agents, and referral partners by providing pathway that clearly communicates requirements and benefits.

UiPath Launches Enhanced Technology Partner Program

UiPath, a New York-based enterprise automation software company, has launched an enhanced Technology Partner Program aimed at the ISV community. The updated program now includes a variety of new technical, sales, and marketing offerings for partners to develop, test, and market their applications as well as promote complementary offerings.

UiPath offers an end-to-end platform for automation, combining a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solution with a full suite of capabilities designed to rapidly scale digital business operations.

New program features include enhanced trial license access, training material to enhance their build efforts, and support to enable the partner and UiPath to extend their platforms and expand their customer bases.

Partners can also monetize their listing via the UiPath Marketplace to drive greater awareness of their company. A Partner Marketing program, offering turn-key marketing campaign solutions, is also available.

The program offers two partner tiers: a free self-service tier and a paid tier, the latter of providing increased support and access to additional benefits.

“We value our technology partners because they enable UiPath to extend our platform and make it ubiquitous via our partners’ technology and customer base,” said Dhruv Asher, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Product Alliances at UiPath. “The turn-key marketing programs and other innovations in our Technology Partner Program will help showcase the value these companies deliver to our joint customers every day.”

Channel Impact^®
The intent of the enhancements is to help partners gain a competitive advantage through specialized support.