While the number of open tech jobs took a hit in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some labor economists and tech recruiters are expecting a surge in hiring in the field in 2021. 

The U.S. tech industry posted the third-largest decrease in job postings among all sectors, according to ZipRecruiter data, but the COVID-19 vaccine and savings accrued by individuals and companies because of remote work could lead to robust hiring demand next year.

“We’re very bullish on hiring in 2021, particularly in tech,” said Julia Pollak, a labor economist at ZipRecruiter. “There are lots of reasons to be very, very optimistic about what’s going to happen in tech. One is that obviously the vaccine news is the big reason—there’s sort of an end to the pandemic in sight now.” 

Americans who have saved money staying home during the pandemic are poised to spend more once it’s over. Additionally, many large employers, like Oracle, have moved their headquarters to lower-cost areas or taken steps to make remote work more permanent, as was the case with Pinterest, which paid $90 million to terminate its San Francisco office lease. 

Shedding real estate typically leads to cost savings for companies, which in turn frees up dollars to hire more employees and grow, Pollak said.

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