In Dallas-Fort Worth, where job growth feels like a birthright, the region lost nearly 122,000 jobs last year, according to seasonally adjusted data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
But a turnaround has begun as COVID-19 vaccinations climb and people circulate again.
The Dallas Fed projects Texas will add 816,000 jobs from December 2020 to December 2021.
If employers make the projected hires, D-FW is likely to set job records, too.
Bottle Rocket had 240 employees before the hiring binge, so the additions represent a major commitment.
Apps and websites are more popular — and necessary — than ever.
“Companies have woken up and realized, ‘Wow, this connected lifestyle thing is real,’” Carter said.
About half of Bottle Rocket’s new hires will be in engineering and quality assurance, with the rest split among project management, product management and designing the user experience.
In February, government researchers updated 10-year projections for occupations based on the pandemic’s potential lasting effects, including more remote work and less business travel.
From 2019 to 2029, the number of software developers, computer research scientists and web developers is projected to grow 19% to 26% under a strong impact scenario, according to the report by researchers at the U.S.
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, has been a staunch proponent of getting workers back into the office.
About 5% of employees come in regularly, and turnout can be 25 one day, a couple the next.
“We’ve already proven we can do the job with no one coming into the office,” Carter said.