CGO finds tech labor mismatch

The Center for Growth and Opportunity paper at Utah State University argues that the U.S. tech hiring problem is better understood as a slow adjustment problem than a simple collapse in demand. The paper, “The Slow Adjustment in Tech Labor: Why Do High-Paying Tech Jobs Go Unfilled?”, was published in December 2022 and is listed on CGO’s research site. Its authors, Joy Buchanan of Samford University and journalist Henry Kronk, say employers and workers often fail to line up quickly even when pay is high and openings remain plentiful. (thecgo.org) The paper’s framing runs against a common shorthand that weak hiring automatically means weak need. CGO says the technology industry has faced recruiting challenges even though wages in computer occupations remain well above the U.S. median. The authors describe a market in which vacancies persist because firms’ role definitions and workers’ profiles do not match neatly enough to clear quickly. ### If wages are high, why aren’t employers filling the jobs? The paper says high pay by itself has not been enough to eliminate vacancies in technology work. (thecgo.org) In 2020, the median income of computer occupations was $91,350, more than twice the median income across all U.S. occupations, according to the paper’s summary on CGO’s site. In 2017, the unemployment rate for software developers was 1.9%, the paper said. The authors present that combination as a puzzle: high wages, low unemployment and still a large number of open roles. (thecgo.org) In 2019, more than 7.5 million U.S. positions were vacant, and the tech sector accounted for roughly 918,000 of those openings, according to the paper. ### What kind of mismatch do the authors describe? Joy Buchanan and Henry Kronk say the issue is not only the number of workers available but the fit between what employers ask for and what applicants present. The paper describes “slow adjustment” in labor markets, meaning firms and candidates can take time to find workable matches even when both sides are active. (thecgo.org) The CGO summary says the paper examines official data on supply and demand for technology workers and discusses why some tech work can be unattractive or difficult to staff. (thecgo.org) The broader argument is that hiring friction can persist because job definitions, required skills and candidate experience do not align closely enough at the point of search. ### Does the paper say demand for tech workers has disappeared? The paper does not frame the problem as vanished demand. CGO’s research page says the tech industry “has faced a challenge in recruiting talent” and notes that “though wages are above average, there are many unfilled jobs.” That language points to continuing employer demand alongside hiring difficulty. (thecgo.org) The authors’ evidence is historical rather than a real-time read on the 2026 labor market. But the paper’s stated question — why high-paying tech jobs go unfilled — is answered with labor-market frictions and adjustment lags, not with a claim that employers no longer want to hire. (thecgo.org) ### What does the paper suggest workers should do with that? The paper itself is a policy paper, not a resume guide. But its description of mismatch implies that workers who are easier to classify may face less friction. That is an inference from the paper’s argument about alignment between openings and candidate profiles, rather than a direct quotation from the authors. (thecgo.org) For job seekers, that would point toward narrower signaling: resumes that make a target role obvious, portfolios that show a defined skill set, and projects that map clearly to the kind of work an employer is trying to fill. (thecgo.org) The paper is available through CGO’s research page and PDF archive under the names of Buchanan and Kronk.