IT Jobs Tempe Contribute to Phoenix Area’s High Tech Ranking
The IT jobs Tempe (http://jobs.insight.com) creates have helped to push the Phoenix area ahead of many others in terms of tech employment.
"Cyberstates 2011: The Definitive State-by-State Analysis of the U.S. High-Tech Industry," a new report from the TechAmerica Foundation, found that Arizona is the fourth-largest state for semiconductor employment.
The report unveils state and national trends in high-tech employment, wages, and other important economic factors. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico are included in the report.
Nationwide, the high-tech industry lost 115,800 jobs during 2010, but still employs 5.75 million workers in that sector. A separate report found that the U.S. added 115,000 jobs during the first six months of this year.
Despite losing 1,300 workers during 2010, Arizona's high-tech industry still employs a total of 105,600 workers, making it the 18th-largest Cyberstate in the nation. The average tech employees in the state earns $82,000 per year, which is 97 percent higher than the overall average salary.
In addition, Arizona remains a stronghold for the semiconductor industry, employing 18,900 workers in the field. That's despite the fact that the state lost a total of 500 semiconductor jobs between 2009 and 2010.
"Arizona's tech industry is heavily reliant on semiconductor manufacturing, so with job losses in that sector in 2010, it is no surprise to see an overall decline in tech jobs in the state," Kevin Carroll, regional vice president of TechAmerica, said in a statement. "Semiconductor manufacturing is still our mainstay and we need to support that industry with state and local education policy that encourages kids to pursue careers in science and engineering and tax policy that creates an environment that gives business the certainly to invest in Arizona."
Some highlights from the report about Arizona include:
- High-tech companies employ 54 of every 1,000 private sector workers in the state.
- Arizona is home to 7,200 high-tech companies.
- The state ranks fourth in semiconductor manufacturing with 18,900 jobs; fifth in space and defense systems manufacturing with 8,700 workers; and sixth in photonics manufacturing with 1,100 employees.