Even though the jobless rate in the San Jose metro area increased slightly in March, Silicon Valley companies are continuing to hire technology workers.
The California Employment Development Department reported that the unemployment rate in the region was 10.6 percent in March, reports the San Jose Mercury News.
Despite the increase in the rate of jobless people, about 3,500 were added in the month, 800 of which were for computer design and other such services.
The news source reports that many of the gains the region experienced last year were from the professional services sector.
“Together, these major groups (which are dominated by high-tech industries) accounted for nearly 91 percent of the year-over job gains in the San Jose metro area,” the California Employment Development Department said in a release.
Further helping the computer industry in the area is Dell’s announcement that it would construct a 240,000 square-foot office in Santa Clara. According to a press release, the computer giant will hire 1,500 people over the next five years to help staff this facility.
In addition, Nokia plans to open a new regional headquarters in Sunnyvale that will reportedly employ 500 people.