Demand for Tech Jobs Spiking Among Those with the Least

Career Climbers / 7th November 2019

Hack the Hood released its annual Impact Report and it highlighted how demand for tech jobs is spiking particularly among youth below the federal poverty line. Among the more striking findings was that enrollment by youth living under the poverty line increased by at least 5% since last year. “As the cost of living skyrockets in the Bay, due to growing wealth from Silicon Valley and the tech industry, our most marginalized residents continue to seek opportunity in their own backyard,” said Michel Gelobter, Hack the Hood’s Executive Director.

Hack the Hood’s annual report found that  44% of their student population now lives under the federal poverty line, up from just under 42% in 2017. In Alameda County alone, the average income needed to live in a one-person household ($32,172) is nearly 3 times higher than the official federal poverty measure ($12,210).

Hack the Hood is responding by building an extensive network of partners who are already serving youth and communities most at risk. In its partner program, Hack the Hood is extending across Oakland, the Bay Area and, in some cases, outside the state, to train and support other organizations and civic entities to replicate their programs.

Hack the Hood kickstarted this partnership model with a summer bootcamp at Lao Family Community Development and joined forces with the Boys and Girls Club of San Leandro and Alameda Point Collaborative to run customized fall programs. By expanding partnerships, Hack the Hood is also harnessing their collective power as Oakland nonprofits. With many organizations supporting Bootcamp, more students and small businesses in the communities will be served.

“Young people are fighting to make a living in the communities they were raised in, communities all around the Bay that spawned this global industry,” Gelobter added.

Hack the Hood is an Oakland nonprofit that provides programs, resources, and opportunities to youth from underserved communities, helping them recognize their full potential through exploration in tech careers and community building. In Hack the Hood’s core Bootcamp programs, youth gain hands-on experience by building websites for local small businesses. For more information about our impact and/or the partnership program, please go to www.hackthehood.org/partner.