On January 18, Amazon announced the shortlist for its second headquarters. From 238 responses to its proposal, it selected 20 cities and metro areas. This much anticipated announcement highlighted:
These regions—often called the Amazon HQ2 cities—have drawn national attention.
As cities competing for Amazon HQ2 move on to the next phase, Amazon plans a deeper dive into each city’s proposal, requesting additional information and “an evaluation of the feasibility of a future partnership that can accommodate the company’s hiring plans as well as benefit its employees and the local community.” Amazon expects to select the location for HQ2 later this year.
While the finalists celebrate—and others assess how to make their regions more attractive—CIOs in these cities should reflect on what being selected for HQ2 could mean for their workforce strategies going forward.
Amazon has said it plans to employ 50,000 people at HQ2. While these roles will be high-paying, Amazon has not identified the workforce composition and hiring plans. Many will be technical jobs. With employment growing across the U.S., the nation’s pool of tech talent may be nearing its limits—a clear sign of a tech talent shortage.
Many companies are experiencing the tech talent gap first hand and are working directly with schools to ensure training meets future workforce needs. For example, partnering with the Trump administration, some technology companies recently pledged $300 million for computer science education to help prepare students for tech careers. Source
Key tactics include:
For the selected city, these are good problems to have. Hosting a tech giant will create opportunities for local and surrounding communities through job creation, positive impacts on real estate, and spending that supports local businesses.
Answer: Amazon narrowed 238 proposals to 20 finalists, highlighting regions like Atlanta, New York, Boston, Austin, Montgomery County (Maryland), Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. Amazon will now conduct deeper evaluations of each proposal—assessing feasibility, partnerships, and community impact—and expects to choose the HQ2 location later this year.
Answer: Amazon plans to employ about 50,000 people at HQ2, and has said these will be high-paying roles. While it hasn’t detailed the exact workforce composition, many are expected to be technical positions given Amazon’s business needs.
Answer: Tech talent is already scarce amid low unemployment and fast-growing demand. For example, Georgia’s unemployment rate is around 4% and employers post more than 5,000 IT openings daily, while software developer roles are projected to grow 24% through 2026—trends that signal a tightening market HQ2 would further strain.
Answer: Reassess workforce strategies now—consider relocating talent from other markets, reskilling existing employees, and tapping into underutilized but highly skilled labor pools. Strengthening industry–education partnerships is also key; many companies are already working with schools, including recent pledges of funding for computer science education, to build future pipelines.
Answer: Despite hiring challenges, HQ2 would be a net positive—creating tens of thousands of jobs, stimulating real estate development, and boosting spending that supports local businesses—offering broad economic gains for the community and surrounding region.