May's sharp slowdown in overall job creation in the Bay Area raised concerns, but we in the tech world should bear in mind that professional, scientific and technical services were the strongest sectors in the state's report. The region overall added only 2,500 jobs in May, a steep decline from gains averaging roughly 10,000 a month over the previous nine months. But of those added jobs 1,000 were in tech services, said the California Employment Development Department. In April, tech jobs grew faster in San Francisco than in Silicon Valley. The growth rate in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties soared 10 percent, to 94,100 positions. At the same time, Santa Clara and San Benito counties were up a mere 3 percent, to 211,000. Some controversial policies in San Francisco are part of the story, including breaks on payroll taxes and other incentives to hire in so-called Enterprise Zones. These were offered to Twitter and others to locate offices in the blighted Mid-Market and Tenderloin districts. Nonetheless, Silicon Valley ranks No. 3 on Dice's list of top metro areas. It lists more than 5,500 open positions in the San Jose area and more than 3,600 around San Francisco. Related Links: San Francisco Leads Technology Employment Growth in Bay Area [TriNet] San Francisco—Silicon Valley North [WSJ] The Best Cities For Tech Jobs [Forbes] Tech Services Fuel San Francisco Job Growth
May's sharp slowdown in overall job creation in the Bay Area raised concerns, but we in the tech world should bear in mind that professional, scientific and technical services were the strongest sectors in the state's report. The region overall added only 2,500 jobs in May, a steep decline from gains averaging roughly 10,000 a month over the previous nine months. But of those added jobs 1,000 were in tech services, said the California Employment Development Department. In April, tech jobs grew faster in San Francisco than in Silicon Valley. The growth rate in San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties soared 10 percent, to 94,100 positions. At the same time, Santa Clara and San Benito counties were up a mere 3 percent, to 211,000. Some controversial policies in San Francisco are part of the story, including breaks on payroll taxes and other incentives to hire in so-called Enterprise Zones. These were offered to Twitter and others to locate offices in the blighted Mid-Market and Tenderloin districts. Nonetheless, Silicon Valley ranks No. 3 on Dice's list of top metro areas. It lists more than 5,500 open positions in the San Jose area and more than 3,600 around San Francisco. Related Links: San Francisco Leads Technology Employment Growth in Bay Area [TriNet] San Francisco—Silicon Valley North [WSJ] The Best Cities For Tech Jobs [Forbes] 
