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Job outlook for desktop support leads in the United States
Desktop support lead job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected desktop support lead job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 83,100 new jobs for desktop support leads are projected over the next decade.
Desktop support lead salaries have increased 9% for desktop support leads in the last 5 years.
There are over 152,162 desktop support leads currently employed in the United States.
There are 87,522 active desktop support lead job openings in the US.
The average desktop support lead salary is $49,669.
Are desktop support lead jobs in demand?
Desktop support lead job and salary trends over time
Desktop support lead jobs over time
Desktop support lead job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 152,162 | 0.05% |
| 2020 | 166,774 | 0.05% |
| 2019 | 134,894 | 0.04% |
| 2018 | 103,941 | 0.03% |
| 2017 | 101,255 | 0.03% |
Average desktop support lead salary over time
Desktop support lead salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $49,669 | $23.88 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $48,032 | $23.09 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $46,945 | $22.57 | +1.5% |
| 2022 | $46,236 | $22.23 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $45,481 | $21.87 | +1.6% |
Desktop support lead jobs by state
Most common states for desktop support leads
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 256 | 37% |
| 2 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 275 | 32% |
| 3 | Alaska | 739,795 | 212 | 29% |
| 4 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 493 | 24% |
| 5 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 649 | 22% |
| 6 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 232 | 22% |
| 7 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 620 | 21% |
| 8 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 321 | 19% |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 709 | 18% |
| 10 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 347 | 18% |
| 11 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 477 | 16% |
| 12 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 879 | 14% |
| 13 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 1,208 | 12% |
| 14 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 619 | 12% |
| 15 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 370 | 12% |
| 16 | California | 39,536,653 | 4,354 | 11% |
| 17 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 934 | 11% |
| 18 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 644 | 11% |
| 19 | Mississippi | 2,984,100 | 331 | 11% |
| 20 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 141 | 11% |
Most common cities for desktop support leads
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burbank | 2 | 2% | $51,859 |
| 2 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $51,153 |
| 3 | Philadelphia | 1 | 0% | $46,886 |
Desktop Support Lead job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of desktop support lead experts
California State University - Long Beach
Purdue University
Dominican University
Governors State University
New York Institute of Technology
Indiana University Bloomington
Carleton College
Tufts University
University of North Texas
Slippery Rock University
Stetson University
Saint Peter's University
American University
What Desktop Support Lead skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Lesley Farmer: Internships are probably the best option, even if unpaid. Some institutions provide career placement services, and grads could contact their instructors about possible options. Companies, professional associations, and non-profits also advertise internships.
What general advice would you give to a Desktop Support Lead?
Dr. Lesley Farmer: Get to know the site before interviewing, and remember that even interviews are an opportunity to practice communication skills-and to see if there's a good match between you and the site. Once hired, learn about the organizational culture and develop trustful relationships. Make one memorable contribution the first month, but focus on becoming an expert before changing others. In addition, join a local and national professional association to keep current and network.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Desktop Support Lead job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Lesley Farmer: Many employees have trouble pivoting to online work so in the short term, tech support and instructional design jobs are in high demand. Data privacy and security are also hot topics and need ed tech expertise. Tech maintenance, including cloud services and networks, continue to be needed, rather like car maintenance. Thinking forward, software development is another area of need, particularly with more online-based education. If grads have data analytics expertise, they can find jobs on data management and learning analytics.
Disabilities continue to be an issue, particularly in terms of equity, so jobs dealing with assistive technology and other ed tech supports are possible. Finally, grads should broaden their concept of educational settings; informal education is more important than ever: in business/HR, libraries and museums, recreational and youth-serving clubs, mass media, government and non-profit agencies. All of these entities are involved in training, outreach, PR, and public awareness/education. Be creative and persistent.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Desktop Support Lead job market given the pandemic?
Jennifer Richardson Ph.D.: The need for problem-solving abilities and adeptness at technology use for communication and training opportunities. If we've learned anything from 2020 it is that we need to be able to pivot at a moment's notice.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Desktop Support Lead job market given the pandemic?
Kate Marek Ph.D.: Probably an acceleration of existing trends - remote working, skill-set based job openings (rather than degree-specific), along with an ongoing need for necessary skills such as writing, problem-solving, collaboration, and project management.
What Desktop Support Lead skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kate Marek Ph.D.: If possible, find a paid internship in your area of interest, which will help expand your professional network and build your skillset. Use this time to keep scanning job ads to identify skill sets in demand; look for online mini-courses to make those skill sets.
What general advice would you give to a Desktop Support Lead?
Kate Marek Ph.D.: Choose an organization in tune with one's values. Look for a job in growth areas, such as data asset management, data analysis, etc.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Desktop Support Lead job market given the pandemic?
Stephen Hyzny: Security, as more people need online services, the protection behind that technology will be needed.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Desktop Support Leads in the next 5 years?
Stephen Hyzny: As everything involves technology, more educated people will need it in the future. As our cars, houses, and lives connect, people will be required to make it all work.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Desktop Support Leads in the next 3-5 years?
Babak Beheshti Ph.D.: -The enormous growth of IoT and wearables. The number of connected devices is expected to be more than 26 billion in 2020. That includes things like household appliances, controllable lighting, and much more. This trend is likely to continue as it is expected to see the industry grow to 661 billion dollars by 2021.
-We will be witnessing a more widespread commercial deployment of 5G in 2020. With the implementation of the Standalone 5G devices based on the 3gpp release 16, we should be seeing the more robust mobile broadband deployment of 5G, wider availability of 5G smartphones, and a push towards an all 5G Network in select urban areas around the world.
-Significant growth in AI-based technologies, from face recognition and voice recognition to business intelligence and market predictions. As machines and deep learning algorithms get integrated into many applications, many industries will undergo substantial changes. AI systems will continue to interact with our phones; cars will interpret and analyze their surroundings and intelligently drive themselves. Online vendors will monitor our browsing habits, and Google decides what kind of search results to give us, based on who it thinks we are.
Krista Glazewski
Professor & Department ChairIndiana University Bloomington
Department of Instructional Systems Technology
What experience really stands out on Desktop Support Lead resumes?
Krista Glazewski: These positions might be called instructional designers, learning designers, learning specialists, educational technologists, course designers, training developers, or learning engineers. But they all have one thing in common - people in these positions are skilled in developing creative solutions that meet a wide range of instructional and training needs. Employers generally like well-rounded and flexible individuals - someone who can work individually or on a diverse team. Something that stands out on resumes is when people show range. This might be a range of skill or format or technical expertise or any combination.
For example, it is excellent if someone can showcase that they have designed everything from webinars through entire curricular progressions and anything in between. It also helps when applicants can show that they can prepare for instructor-led or self-paced experiences. And it's valuable if applicants show that they can reason about complex issues to enhance learning and performance for a wide range of diverse learners. So I also think it's essential for applicants to show the content of inclusive and culturally relevant strategies. More specifically, I think employers are looking to see how applicants can visit the complexities of learning issues and meet those with practical, on-the-ground solutions.
Furthermore, designers have to be good communicators, making sure that everything in the application, resume, and portfolio showcases strong communication skills. I also think employers also want to see technical skills, but I mean this broadly. If you have visual design skills or media expertise, or programming competence, find a way to showcase it.
What type of skills will young Desktop Support Leads need?
Joshua Davis Ph.D.: Studying mathematics is good practice for rigorous thinking and problem solving, which are valued across the workforce. For science and engineering applications, it is often also helpful to have R, Python, Matlab, or another popular programming language. But technical abilities get the graduate-only so far. They need interpersonal communication skills so that they can understand the needs of stakeholders and cooperate with colleagues. For this reason, many faculty at my school emphasize writing, speaking, listening, and teamwork skills.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Desktop Support Leads in the next 5 years?
Ming Chow: On the one hand, there are many opportunities in tech currently. On the other hand, new college hires will be competing with crowds of people with real experience who were laid off during COVID. Five years is too far ahead to predict.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Desktop Support Lead job market given the pandemic?
Ming Chow: -Need to hit the ground running as many employees and companies don't have the time, energy, and training infrastructure.
-The soft skills, including communications, how to deal with change and the basics are becoming more critical-things like using a calendar, following-up, etc.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Desktop Support Leads?
Mark Albert Ph.D.: They are now better at working remotely than ever before! It sure did accelerate the transition. Interestingly, our students are now more engaged beyond our academic borders than before, given remote collaboration capabilities.
Abdou Karim Jallow Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorSlippery Rock University
Department of Information Systems
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Desktop Support Leads?
Abdou Karim Jallow Ph.D.: It is obvious that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted and transformed the lives of many people, including students all over the world. A major effect is requiring students to stay and learn from home because of the closure of educational institutions as a precautionary measure. Missing saying the traditional goodbye to friends, fraternities, and sororities, and having to watch commencement ceremonies in bedrooms online will leave an indelible mark in graduates.
This means a great U-shift in memories of college life, including physical interaction and learning environment, and systems adopting a new way of doing things. Graduates will enter the job market with uncertainties of availability of traditional jobs and how to work in a new normal. Many graduates will find themselves having to search for jobs virtually and having to start working remotely from the beginning in most cases and in most industries. What would have been a new beginning, along with the excitement of stepping through the doors of the new office and career, will not be there physically. This will have an impact on these graduates because of the transformation of society as a result of the pandemic.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Desktop Support Leads to find work opportunities?
Abdou Karim Jallow Ph.D.: Sometimes new graduates from college can find it hard to get the perfect or preferred job location. This may be different for those with information sciences or information systems and related degrees. Luckily there are big companies, multinational companies as well as some-sized enterprises who need skills in that discipline. Most of these can be found in some of the big cities beyond Silicon Valley such as NY, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Denver, Colorado, Philadelphia, Chicago, DC, Charlotte, Houston, Boston, Dallas, and Minneapolis, just to name a few.
Some of these locations are where some of the big tech companies reside, such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, IBM, HP, SAP, etc. The advantage of this degree is that graduates not only can work for tech companies but any company because of the need to manage data, information, process, and technology. Companies all over have or are putting together strategies to harness the potential of big data, and graduates with information sciences, information systems, and related degrees are sought after continuously.
How do you envision technology impacting Desktop Support Leads in the next 5 years?
Abdou Karim Jallow Ph.D.: The trend we have witnessed in the past two decades in terms of development in technology is unprecedented. This has a ripple effect on the field of information sciences and systems. Most traditional jobs have changed or rebranded. For example, consider how information and data processing and management (IDPM) has revolutionized into what is today information management or management information systems; business intelligence is almost transformed into business analytics, data science; high-performance computing, and grid computing is today predominantly engulfed by cloud computing services.
These are changing how data and information are managed. The decision-making process is changing in various information and knowledge-intensive and process-oriented industries such as healthcare, banking, transportation, engineering, education, security, just to name a few, despite the fact that roles and services still remain. New and emerging disciplines and services are added, driven by the advancement and greater capabilities of technology. Without a doubt, in the next few years, data and information services will be revolutionized by technology hugely. Consider the development in artificial intelligence, data science, blockchain, 5G, and broadband networks, all of which have huge potential to impact the discipline. This means that information sciences and information systems courses must adapt to take into consideration the emerging skills required by the professionals and businesses of the future. The education and training of professionals in this domain have to be continuously changing to prepare graduates adequately.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Desktop Support Leads?
Dr. Hala ElAarag: I didn't see any negative impact of coronavirus on our graduates. Our graduates did not have any problem finding internships and jobs during the pandemic. After the pandemic, there will be even more demand and opportunities for our graduates.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Desktop Support Leads to find work opportunities?
Dr. Hala ElAarag: Not really. With the increasing shift of working remotely, the jobs now are not tied to a specific location in the US or anywhere in the world.
How do you envision technology impacting Desktop Support Leads in the next 5 years?
Dr. Hala ElAarag: In our field, it might be more appropriate the other way around. I would like to rephrase the question as to how does the computer science field impact technology in the next five years? The answer is tremendous. With fields like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, visual, and augmented reality making great strides, there is no doubt that we will witness a revolution in technology in the next five years.
How do you envision technology impacting Desktop Support Leads in the next 5 years?
Edward Moskal: Technology will have a significant impact over the next five years. While technology associated with the software, databases, blockchain, cloud computing, and cybersecurity will still have an impact, we are likely to see significant changes and advancements in fields such as artificial intelligence, combinations of augmented and mixed reality, and quantum computing. Industry and business will be driving these advancements, in particular, the healthcare industry and large tech companies like Google and Facebook that have already started establishing a strong presence in these fields.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Desktop Support Leads to find work opportunities?
Kathleen Riley: My computer science students from the class of 2020 had a variety of experiences when they entered the job market after graduation. Those who had already signed on at companies like Amazon or Google, whose business stayed strong during the pandemic and whose workplace models adjusted easily to remote work, had a relatively easy time starting their industry jobs. Others, especially those who had planned to work for companies whose business depended on clients or industries which suffered under the pandemic, saw delays, changes in their work plans, and even cancellations of contracts; several found themselves job hunting again over the summer, interviewing remotely and having to assess companies without setting foot outside their own home. Fortunately, there are still a lot of jobs out there for Computer Science graduates, and most of the students I know have found other placements or are well into that process.
We all know about the abundance of computer science opportunities in the Silicon Valley, the Dulles Technology corridor, and other tech hubs, but there is also an abundance of computer science opportunities in large and small cities throughout the country. In addition to businesses whose focus or products are technology-related, many other businesses have significant technology and computer science needs that are provided in-house, and those who thrive and survive will continue to hire.