{"schema_version": 1, "id": "macon-ga-msa/information-technology/2026-10", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 275, "label": "Macon, GA MSA", "slug": "macon-ga-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "information_technology", "slug": "information-technology", "label": "Information Technology"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T03:23:53.097177+00:00", "headline": "Macon IT pay splits: infrastructure premium, support and security pay fall.", "headline_summary": "Macon's Network Engineer pay runs $129,016 versus $115,757 nationally even as unemployment climbed to 4.1% and Cybersecurity Analyst pay fell to $83,447, well under the $107,327 national median.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Macon metro unemployment rate", "value": "4.1%", "context": "Up from 3.9% a year ago; matches 4.1% national rate"}, {"label": "Metro job growth diffusion index", "value": "33", "context": "Below 50 expansion threshold, signals narrowing hiring breadth"}, {"label": "Metro nonfarm employment, year-over-year", "value": "-0.5%", "context": "Flat despite labor force and employment both rising in Sept."}, {"label": "Georgia H-1B filings, FY2026 Q1", "value": "+180%", "context": "14 certified LCAs vs. prior year, small base but sharp rise"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Cybersecurity pay is falling locally while national demand tightens.", "body": "Metro Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay dropped significantly to $83,447, a 22% gap versus the $107,327 national median that's moving up. Georgia's 180% H-1B filing growth and tight domestic IT services supply suggest local employers may be underpricing a skill set national data say is getting scarcer."}, {"headline": "Network Engineer pay premium signals an infrastructure talent squeeze.", "body": "Metro median $129,016 sits well above the $115,757 national figure, with the role holding steady over the period. Data center buildout nationally is filling three of the top five hiring sectors \u2014 Macon's premium is consistent with secondary-market competition for scarce networking talent."}, {"headline": "Help desk compensation decline may widen retention risk at entry tiers.", "body": "Metro Help Desk pay fell significantly to $45,904, well below the already-soft $53,129 national median, while Georgia's broader IT support benchmark sits near $61,071 annually. A growing gap between advertised rates and typical support-role earnings could accelerate churn into adjacent metros or sectors as the labor force expands."}, {"headline": "Loosening metro labor market doesn't erase skill-specific scarcity.", "body": "Unemployment rising to 4.1% alongside a diffusion index of 33 points to broad cooling, but Network Engineer and Systems Administrator pay (both up or stable, both above or near national levels) show specialized infrastructure roles holding firm on pricing. Headcount planning should separate commodity support functions from infrastructure roles with persistent pricing power."}], "local_conditions": "Macon's unemployment rate climbed to 4.1% in September, up from 3.9% a year ago, even as the labor force and employment both grew over the month \u2014 a sign that more workers are entering the market faster than employers are absorbing them. Headline job growth has flattened to -0.5% year-over-year with contraction in financial activities (-4.3%), while a diffusion index of 33 signals hiring breadth has slipped below expansion territory across the metro's industry base.", "implications": "Flattening headline growth alongside a widening local-to-national unemployment gap (4.1% metro vs. 4.1% national, but up from a tighter spread a year ago) suggests Macon's IT labor pool is loosening at the margins, even as specialized infrastructure and security talent remains hard to source locally. Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay down significantly (metro median $83,447 vs. national $107,327) alongside Help Desk pay down significantly (metro $45,904) points to softer local demand for entry-to-mid security and support roles, while Network Engineer pay holds well above national levels ($129,016 vs. $115,757) \u2014 a sign that scarce networking and infrastructure expertise still commands a premium even as broader IT hiring cools. Consider reviewing whether security and support roles can be right-sized or restructured locally while protecting pay competitiveness for infrastructure specialists where the metro shows clear scarcity pricing.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Georgia's 180% year-over-year jump in H-1B filings (14 certified LCAs in FY2026 Q1) is a small-sample but notable signal \u2014 watch whether Macon-area employers increase visa sponsorship as a hedge against thin local infrastructure and security talent pools."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Macon's diffusion index at 33 suggests job growth is narrowing to fewer sectors; if financial activities' -4.3% contraction spreads into adjacent professional services, expect more displaced talent entering the local IT support and project management candidate pool."}, {"category": "Worth watching", "body": "National information-sector hiring rates have fallen to 1.6% of employment, favoring internal mobility over external hires. Track whether Macon's flat nonfarm employment (-0.5% YoY) pushes local employers toward similar retention-first strategies over competitive counteroffers."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Georgia's BPO/outsourcing sector employs roughly 46,000 across the state with a structural cost advantage over Western markets. Watch whether Macon-area IT leaders accelerate offshore or in-state outsourcing for commodity support roles given the local help desk pay decline."}], "roles": [{"role": "Data Scientist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 90897.75, "metro_p50": 102037.6, "metro_p75": 121738.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 145881.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Systems Administrator", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 72384.0, "metro_p50": 99280.0, "metro_p75": 99280.0, "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": "metro", "metro_p25": 129015.0, "metro_p50": 129016.0, "metro_p75": 129016.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 115757.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 118885.0, "metro_p50": 143803.2, "metro_p75": 147250.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Help Desk/IT Support Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 37263.75, "metro_p50": 45903.6, "metro_p75": 48839.0, "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": "metro", "metro_p25": 79550.75, "metro_p50": 83447.0, "metro_p75": 122289.5, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 107327.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "IT Project Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 80352.0, "metro_p50": 114441.0, "metro_p75": 128947.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 118149.8, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [], "citations": [{"source_name": "Georgia Department of Labor / Macon Chamber of Commerce", "source_url": null, "statement": "Macon-Bibb MSA unemployment rose to 4.1% in September 2026, up from 3.9% a year ago"}, {"source_name": "Georgia Economics", "source_url": null, "statement": "Macon diffusion index at 33, below expansion threshold; nonfarm employment -0.5% YoY"}, {"source_name": "H1BScope", "source_url": null, "statement": "Georgia H-1B visa filings in Macon up 180% in FY2026 Q1 with 14 certified LCAs"}, {"source_name": "Georgia Department of Economic Development", "source_url": null, "statement": "Georgia BPO/IT outsourcing sector employs ~46,000 across ~130 companies"}, {"source_name": "Bureau of Labor Statistics", "source_url": null, "statement": "US information-sector hire rate fell to 1.6% of employment by August 2026"}, {"source_name": "Indeed Hiring Lab", "source_url": null, "statement": "Data center job postings grew 20% in three months, filling top hiring sectors"}], "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": "macon-ga-msa/information-technology/2026-10.html", "pdf": "macon-ga-msa/information-technology/2026-10.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:25:31.557625+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/macon-ga-msa/information-technology/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/macon-ga-msa/information-technology/2026-10.pdf"}