Where Amazon Should Build HQ2, According to Entelo Data

January 19, 2018 at 4:00 PM by William Clarke

amazon Hq2 (1).pngAmazon recently narrowed down the list of cities in the running for its second headquarters from more than 200 applicants to just 20 finalists. Unsurprisingly, 9 of the 10 largest metro regions in America remain in the running, while the other 11 finalists range from mid-sized cities with burgeoning tech scenes (Denver, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Miami) to smaller cities and areas just outside of major cities that still offer many of the same amenities and talent pools as their central metropoles (Newark, New Jersey, Northern Virginia, Montgomery County, Maryland).

It’s clear that Amazon is looking for cities with deep pools of talent that offer solid infrastructures (public transit, abundant housing and airports) and good quality of life (education, recreation and culture). But as everyone in talent knows, your organization is only as good as its people, so our bet is that Amazon’s decision will come down to where they think they can hire 50,000 talented people who will help the company continue to grow. So, which of the 20 finalists have the most robust pools of candidates? Looking at Entelo’s nearly half a billion (500 M) candidate profiles for roles like tech, sales and other office work, we can see that some cities are richer in prospective talent than others. Here are the 5 strongest and 5 weakest candidates, based on the size and depth of their talent pools.

  • The cities with the most skilled workers in tech and sales and administrative roles are:
    • New York, New York
    • Los Angeles, California
    • Washington, D.C.
    • Chicago, Illinois
    • Boston, Massachusetts
  • Cities with the least candidates in these roles include:
    • Miami, Florida
    • Columbus, Ohio
    • Raleigh, North Carolina
    • Austin, Texas
    • Denver, Colorado

Amazon also lists having a “Compatible cultural and community environment” that includes “The presence and support of a diverse population” and in June of 2016 the company signed onto the White House’s Equal Pay Pledge, so it’s safe to say they value having a diverse workforce. So where will they have the most success finding diverse candidates for their new HQ2?Entelo data reveals a few regions are clear winners on the diversity front, as well as some cities that lag behind.

  • Cities with most diverse candidates:
    • Los Angeles, California
    • New York, New York
    • Newark, New Jersey
    • Miami, Florida
    • Chicago, Illinois

  • Cities with least diverse candidates:
    • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    • Nashville, Tennessee
    • Columbus, Ohio
    • Indianapolis, Indiana
    • Raleigh, North Carolina

While it’s clear that Amazon will be looking at far more than just talent pools and diversity, there are three clear standouts from the Entelo data: New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. These cities offer large pools of diverse and talented candidates, which explains why all three cities are finalists. Whether that’s enough to get them over the finish line is anyone’s guess, but we wouldn’t be surprised if one of them is cutting a big yellow ribbon in a few year’s time.

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10 Key Findings of the 2018 Entelo Recruiting Trends Report
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 Entelo 2018 Recruiting Trends Report

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