{"schema_version": 1, "id": "hot-springs-ar-msa/information-technology/2026-10", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 312, "label": "Hot Springs, AR MSA", "slug": "hot-springs-ar-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "information_technology", "slug": "information-technology", "label": "Information Technology"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T03:13:28.110166+00:00", "headline": "Hot Springs IT pay splits: infrastructure up, software down sharply.", "headline_summary": "Network Engineer and Systems Administrator advertised pay rose moderately in Hot Springs even as Software Engineer pay fell significantly to $110,857 and metro unemployment eased to roughly 3.8%-4.2%.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Metro unemployment rate", "value": "3.8%-4.2%", "context": "Down from 5.2% peak in January 2026"}, {"label": "Garland County avg weekly wage", "value": "$946", "context": "vs national average $1,569"}, {"label": "Software Engineer advertised pay (metro)", "value": "$110,857", "context": "Down significantly vs national $154,403 (stable)"}, {"label": "Arkansas unemployment rate", "value": "3.9%", "context": "Record-high labor force, 8th straight month of decline"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Infrastructure roles are pulling away from software pay locally.", "body": "Network Engineer ($93,866) and Systems Administrator ($85,674) advertised pay both moved up moderately while Software Engineer fell significantly to $110,857. Headcount planning should treat infrastructure and support roles as the tighter market right now."}, {"headline": "Help Desk pay decline outpaces the national drop.", "body": "Metro Help Desk/IT Support advertised pay fell significantly to $47,578 versus a moderate national decline to $53,129, widening the metro discount to roughly 10%. Organizations leaning on local entry-level support may find it easier to staff but should watch for churn if candidates compare offers against remote postings."}, {"headline": "Cybersecurity pay is flat locally while the nation moves up.", "body": "Metro Cybersecurity Analyst pay held stable at $87,969 even as national pay rose moderately to $107,327, a gap of nearly 20%. Flat local pay amid a documented statewide STEM shortage and rising data-center build-out may signal under-pricing risk if demand for security talent accelerates alongside Google's continued Entergy-related infrastructure investment."}, {"headline": "Tight labor supply narrows the outsourcing runway for routine ops.", "body": "Arkansas's record-low 3.9% unemployment and Garland County's new Work Ready Community certification point to a shrinking local talent bench for infrastructure and support roles. Current conditions suggest evaluating offshore or near-shore support for commodity functions while reserving local hiring budget for harder-to-replace infrastructure and security roles."}], "local_conditions": "Hot Springs MSA unemployment eased to roughly 3.8%-4.2% in September, down from a 5.2% January peak, with nonfarm employment near 40,400 \u2014 a tighter labor pool that persists even as overall job counts remain slightly below last year's 40,700. Garland County's average weekly wage of $946 trails the national average of $1,569 by a wide margin, a gap that keeps the metro price-competitive for routine IT functions but exposes it to outbound pressure whenever employers elsewhere advertise meaningfully above local medians.", "implications": "Metro pay data shows Software Engineer and Help Desk advertised rates falling significantly ($110,857 and $47,578, both down) while Network Engineer, Systems Administrator and IT Project Manager rates climb \u2014 a split that tracks the national pattern of infrastructure and data-center roles gaining ground while software and entry-level support flatten. That divergence changes the calculus on build-vs-buy: infrastructure and security headcount is getting more expensive to retain locally even as software talent may be easier to backfill or source remotely at lower cost. Consider reviewing infrastructure and network engineering compensation now, before the gap with declining software-engineer pay invites internal equity friction and attrition toward better-paying regional employers.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Little Rock's proposed data center moratorium and broader backlash against AI/data-center expansion could slow infrastructure investment that has been pushing network and systems administrator pay upward statewide. A policy shift would directly affect headcount plans tied to hybrid or on-prem buildout in the region."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "National tech layoffs have already exceeded 133,000 workers for 2026, concentrated in software and tech-hub roles, with infrastructure roles largely spared. Watch whether any of that displaced software talent migrates toward Arkansas's lower cost of living, which could ease the metro's significant Software Engineer pay decline further."}, {"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Garland County's Work Ready Community certification and 2,362 residents earning career-readiness credentials signal a pipeline investment aimed at entry-level and technical roles. Track whether this translates into measurable improvement in local Help Desk and Systems Administrator candidate flow over the next two quarters."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "U of A's Vision 2035 engineering expansion targets the STEM pipeline gap cited as a constraint on build-vs-buy decisions statewide. A multi-year plan won't move the needle in 60 days, but early partnership announcements with Arkansas employers are worth tracking as a signal of where future local technical supply may concentrate."}], "roles": [{"role": "Data Scientist", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 119371.75, "metro_p50": 142292.0, "metro_p75": 155655.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 145881.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Systems Administrator", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 69813.25, "metro_p50": 85674.0, "metro_p75": 95386.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 102503.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Network Engineer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 67300.0, "metro_p50": 93866.0, "metro_p75": 118535.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 115757.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 99663.0, "metro_p50": 110856.6, "metro_p75": 122948.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Help Desk/IT Support Specialist", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 39520.0, "metro_p50": 47578.0, "metro_p75": 55022.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 53129.0, "national_trend_direction": "down", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Cybersecurity Analyst", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 75069.0, "metro_p50": 87969.0, "metro_p75": 109989.25, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 107327.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "IT Project Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 99848.0, "metro_p50": 118055.0, "metro_p75": 125638.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 118149.8, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [], "citations": [{"source_name": "Talk Business & Politics", "source_url": null, "statement": "Hot Springs MSA unemployment and nonfarm employment figures"}, {"source_name": "U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics", "source_url": null, "statement": "Garland County average weekly wage comparison"}, {"source_name": "Layoffs.fyi / industry tracking", "source_url": null, "statement": "National tech layoffs exceeding 133,000 in 2026"}, {"source_name": "Local news reporting", "source_url": null, "statement": "Little Rock data center moratorium consideration"}, {"source_name": "WorkReady Communities", "source_url": null, "statement": "Garland County Work Ready Community certification details"}, {"source_name": "Arkansas Department of Commerce / BLS", "source_url": null, "statement": "Arkansas statewide unemployment rate and labor force size"}], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "hot-springs-ar-msa/information-technology/2026-10.html", "pdf": "hot-springs-ar-msa/information-technology/2026-10.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:23:12.167923+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/hot-springs-ar-msa/information-technology/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/hot-springs-ar-msa/information-technology/2026-10.pdf"}