Report Says High-Tech On the Upswing

The AeA, a trade association representing the high-tech industry, has released its ninth annual Cyberstates report detailing national and state trends in high-tech employment, wages, exports, and other key economic factors.

The report, entitled "Cyberstates 2006: A Complete State-by-State Overview of the High-Technology Industry," covers all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Nationally, the report shows tech industry gains. High-tech employment was up by 61,100 workers in 2005, the first increase in tech jobs in four years. U.S. high-tech exports gained 4 percent, for a total of $199 billion in 2005. In California (generally considered the center of high tech in the U.S.), the number of high-tech workers was pegged at 904,900. These workers earned an average wage of $90,600, or 106 percent more than California's average private sector wage. Compared to 2004, job loss slowed in California, with high tech losing only 10,600 jobs, compared to a loss of 67,800 jobs in 2003.

The report also confirmed that California continues to lead the nation by most high-tech industry metrics. California tech companies report the largest payrolls of technology employers nationwide, and California tech workers had the highest average wage in the United States. In 2005, venture capitalists invested $10.4 billion in California, and tech companies exported $47.8 billion from California to countries around the world.

Posted by Jon Erickson at 09:06 AM  Permalink