It’s one of the reasons small companies are using special tactics and giveaways to attract good workers. F5 Networks’ recruiting strategy initially focused on networking—mining the LinkedIn and email address books of current employees. But for F5 and other lesser-known companies, letting the world know about their hiring is crucial in this recruiting climate, said Kostek.

Earlier this spring, F5 posted “Ride with F5” billboards around town touting the company’s cycling-friendly culture, which includes showers and a covered place to park bikes.

Similarly, online-advertising company Marchex, which has openings for about 30 people, launched a branded recruiting site, MakeHistory.com, a couple of months ago. The site describes the company’s services, along with how to win an iPad by coming up with a solution to a problem a customer might face. Marchex also paid for sponsorship spots on public radio station KUOW to advertise its openings.

Robert Gubas, vice president of marketing for Marchex, said smaller companies need the exposure of radio ads and websites because they “are not trading on the deep brand recognition” of an Amazon or a Google.

Competition for jobs doesn’t show up starkly in the state’s employment picture. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, software jobs in the state have increased by about 2,000 since late 2009. But the state’s “information” sector, where many of the high-tech jobs are grouped, lost 200 jobs in May.

Washington’s chief labor economist, David Wallace, said the dip in information jobs reflects the loss of positions at newspapers and other still-struggling employers in the category. He said he has heard anecdotally that tech companies are hiring. “But the way we group things, we are not seeing it jump out in the numbers yet,” Wallace said.

The demand shows up on the job market, however. Amazon remains one of the strongest competitors for workers, hiring nearly 1,000 people in recent months. Smaller companies such as Optify, Tableau Software, and ExtraHop also are scooping up talent—they’ve posted more than 100 job openings in recent weeks.

Kostek said tech companies now fear their best talent will be lured away. So they are taking care of their own by offering raises and increasing benefits.

“When we are making an offer for the best people, there are counteroffers,” said Gubas.

IT workers also are starting to feel more confident about the economy and willing to consider leaving a job, Gubas said.

F5, which produces software and hardware to deliver applications over the Internet more quickly and securely, had layoffs in early 2009. But it snapped back quickly and has been hiring pretty steadily since, said James. To find workers, it has offered cash bonuses of up to $3,000 to employees who help recruit key hires.

A year ago, about one in three of F5’s hires was “between jobs.”

Today it’s much tougher to find an unemployed engineer, and much tougher still given that major employers such as Microsoft have stepped up hiring as well.

“They’ve switched gears and started hiring,” James said.