According to data made available to CCN from Indeed.com, one of the companies doing the most hiring in the blockchain sector is none other than JP Morgan.
Others who topped the list are Deloitte and IBM (unsurprisingly). The rest of the top 10 companies with blockchain jobs (or jobs in the cryptocurrency sector) is as follows:
• KPMG
• EY
• Accenture
• Cisco
• Microsoft
• Conduent
• ConsenSys
For the most part, these companies are not surprising. What is surprising is that ConsenSys, the most significant player in the Ethereum space by a long shot, is last on the list. JP Morgan was a few rungs above ConsenSys.
Blockchain Jobs Up Over 4000% Since 2016
The number of blockchain jobs per million listings on Indeed.com has increased by over 4,000% since February 2016. Job searches in the industry have increased by over 500% in the same period. Still, many blockchain jobs remain open for long periods, due to an overall shortage of actual blockchain development experience.
Accenture is a global consulting firm. Why they’re hiring so heavily in blockchain remains to be understood, but Conduent is a shoot-off from Xerox formed in 2017. Xerox along with IBM has long attempted to pioneer in new technological industries, occasionally with great success. Xerox’s PARC laboratory was ahead of Apple in creating the graphical user interface.
Notably missing from the list is Facebook and Google. Facebook is developing its own blockchain project, but seemingly has all the talent it needs for that purpose. Jack Dorsey’s Cash App is also looking for blockchain engineers, but not more than the companies listed above. The data cut off last month, as well, so more recent listings wouldn’t have impacted the standings.
Despite Microsoft’s banning of all cryptocurrency advertising, the company is pushing to be one of the biggest blockchain engineer employers in the world. In many ways, Microsoft’s involvement in the blockchain space is surprising. What sort of products will come out of these efforts? The company actually has what it calls a “blockchain workbench” as part of its Azure cloud computing environment. Presumably, most of the blockchain jobs from Microsoft will be centered around its enterprise clients looking to build blockchain solutions.
Blockchain Jobs Centering In California
Three of the top metro areas where blockchain jobs are listed are in California. San Jose and Los Angeles are the top and bottom of the list, with San Francisco coming in at number two. Greater New York and New Jersey are third in line. Austin made the list ahead of Chicago, whose mayor recently spoke on the prospects of building a blockchain friendly environment in the Windy City. Coinbase also recently expanded there. Nearby Ohio is full on trying to attract blockchain companies through legislation.
California is home to Coinbase, Ripple, Huobi’s US arm, and numerous other blockchain companies. While several other regions are hoping to attract blockchain businesses, California’s position as the developer hub of the world gives it an edge in terms of human capital.