In new data released by Sapphire Technologies, an IT job board, some significant patterns were found in the availability of technology jobs in different U.S. regions. More than half (58.62 percent) of all available jobs in Austin, Texas, were in software development, something that raised eyebrows even among Sapphire's recruiters until they looked more closely at the demographics of the city.

"We were surprised by how much software development opportunity was available in the Austin area. It's because there are a lot of startups in there, and these startups don't need as many higher-up people as they need employees who can help them develop software. Austin is a really young city with a decent [number] of colleges in the area; it's a cheaper place to live than other big cities, but it's growing because people are staying there after they finish school," Mike Giglio, a recruiting manager at Sapphire, told eWEEK.

The American Electronics Association, a high-tech trade association that also tracks IT employment on a state and regional basis, also noted the health of Texas' technology job market in its Cyberstates 2008 report, finding that Texas led the nation in IT job creation, having added 13,700 jobs the year before.