North Carolina’s Tech Workforce: Adapting to AI, Agility, and Orchestration

Written By: Silver Tree Consulting & Services

North Carolina’s tech economy is in the middle of a profound transformation. Employers across the state are posting thousands of IT openings every month, yet the skills they seek, and the roles they prioritize, are shifting faster than ever.

According to NC TECH’s Job Trends Dashboard, unique IT job postings in North Carolina averaged between 7,000 and 8,000 per month over the past year. While demand has remained steady, the mix of roles and skills tells a bigger story: routine tasks are being automated, specialized skills are rising in importance, and leadership roles that can orchestrate business and technology outcomes are now mission critical.

The Skills Gap in North Carolina

The top hard skills showing up in postings across the state—computer science, agile methodology, automation, Python, and SQL—reflect the foundations of a digital economy. Yet most reveal a negative skill gap, meaning more job postings exist than available candidates. For example:

Automation shows a -12 gap between employer demand and candidate availability.
Agile methodology and Python each show similar shortages, signaling that companies are struggling to fill data, development, and process-focused roles.

This gap is a challenge for employers but also an opportunity for the workforce. Targeted reskilling, upskilling, and certification programs will be essential to close the gap and strengthen North Carolina’s position as a national tech hub. But companies also need immediate solutions.

Increasingly, employers are turning to staff augmentation and managed teams to quickly fill high-demand roles, access specialized expertise, and stay agile while their internal workforce builds new capabilities.

Credentials Driving Hiring

Looking beyond skills, the credentials most in demand highlight where the workforce is headed:

CISSP and CompTIA Security+ remain at the top of the list, reflecting the state’s increasing cybersecurity needs.
Security clearance postings grew by over 14% in the past 30 days, signaling strong demand in federal and defense-related roles.
Project management certifications (such as PMP) are also on the rise. While the shortage is smaller than in technical fields, postings continue to outpace available talent, showing that companies need leaders who can turn digital strategies into successful execution.

These trends make clear that North Carolina employers are looking not only for technical expertise in areas like cybersecurity, but also for leadership and orchestration skills that ensure technology investments deliver tangible business outcomes.

The AI and Orchestration Imperative

Headlines often frame artificial intelligence as a threat to jobs. The reality in North Carolina is more nuanced. AI is automating repetitive tasks such as ticket triage, monitoring, and QA testing. At the same time, it is creating new opportunities for specialists in AI integration, data governance, and ethics.

More importantly, AI is making orchestration roles essential:

Organizational Change Management (OCM) leaders ensure employees adopt new tools and processes.
Program and Project Leaders can turn digital strategies into execution.
Product Owners bridge IT and business priorities to deliver measurable value.

For North Carolina companies, building these orchestration roles will be the differentiator between success and failure in transformation.

Industry Pressures in NC

North Carolina’s economy is diverse, and each industry is experiencing workforce shifts differently. What is clear is that employers need a mix of technical expertise and orchestration skills to keep digital initiatives on track:

Finance (Charlotte): Automation and regulatory demands are fueling hiring in cybersecurity and compliance roles — but banks and insurers are also competing for program managers and OCM leaders who can guide transformation efforts without disrupting day-to-day operations.
Healthcare and Biotech (RTP): AI-driven diagnostics and patient engagement require data scientists and security specialists. At the same time, organizations need project managers and adoption leaders to ensure clinicians and staff use new tools effectively.
Manufacturing (statewide): Industry 4.0 and IoT adoption are creating demand for integration specialists who can bridge OT and IT. These companies also depend on product owners and agile leaders who can prioritize initiatives and align investments with business outcomes.
Defense and Federal (across NC): Security clearance requirements are driving growth in cybersecurity and infrastructure roles, but projects of this scale also require experienced program leaders who can orchestrate multi-stakeholder initiatives.

Across industries, the lesson is the same: success goes beyond hiring more technical talent. It is about pairing that expertise with leadership and orchestration roles that turn technology investments into measurable impact.

The Market Imperative

North Carolina’s companies face the same complexity as large enterprises but without the same resources. They cannot simply hire their way out of the skills gap. Instead, they must:

Audit their workforce against future initiatives.
Invest in leadership and orchestration roles alongside technical hires.
Adopt hybrid talent models that combine strategic hires, managed teams, and targeted augmentation.
Focus on outcomes measured by business value, not headcount.

The above is especially true for SMBs and nonprofits, which power much of the state’s economy.

A Call to North Carolina Business Leaders

North Carolina’s tech workforce is evolving rapidly. Business and technology leaders across the state should be asking:

Are we building AI-ready teams, not just filling technical roles?
Are we designing cross-functional teams around outcomes, not traditional org charts?
Are we creating pathways for local talent to gain the certifications and experiences most in demand?
Are we leveraging partnerships, such as with NC Tech, universities, and service providers like Silver Tree, to stay competitive?

North Carolina’s tech workforce is evolving at a pace that requires immediate action and long-term vision. Business and technology leaders can no longer hire their way out of a skill gaps. They need forward-looking, tailored workforce models, such as strategic hires, tailored teams, change agents, and program leaders. Silver Tree fills those gaps and works alongside North Carolina organizations to build operating and organizational models that can adapt to current and future challenges.

To explore how your workforce strategy measures up, contact Silver Tree to arrange a Workforce Assessment.

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