When it comes to new jobs, Seattle is the leading cybercity
127,700 tech workers rise from dot-com ashes
By JOHN COOK
P-I REPORTER
The Seattle area added the greatest number of high-tech jobs in 2006, outpacing Boston, San Francisco and more than 50 other U.S. cities, according to the Cybercities report from the American Electronics Association.
The report, released Tuesday, is another indication that the high-tech economy in the Seattle area continues to purr as companies such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon.com and dozens of startup enterprises add new workers. (The P-I recently reported on Microsoft's record employment growth, with 38,856 workers in the Puget Sound region and 89,809 worldwide as of May 31.)
The Seattle area added 7,800 jobs in the high-tech sector in 2006, a 6.5 percent increase over the previous year. The next-highest major "cybercity" was Phoenix, which experienced high-tech job growth of 4.3 percent. Of the medium-sized cybercities, Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., had the fastest job growth at 11.5 percent.
In absolute employment numbers, Seattle's tech work force now stands at 127,700. That makes it the ninth-biggest city for tech workers, according to the report.
And the latest surge in tech employment is bringing the region back to levels not seen since the dot-com boom years. In 2001, the AeA reported that the Seattle area -- including King, Pierce and Snohomish counties -- employed 129,400 in the tech sector.
Although the AeA report is based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2006 -- the most recent year available -- the industry continues to experience robust growth even as much of the rest of the economy slows, said Christopher Hansen, president and chief executive of the trade group.
"The tech sector is not laying people off," Hansen said. "If anything, the industry is having trouble getting enough people with the right credentials."
Although the trade group publishes an annual Cyberstates report, "Cybercities 2008" is the first examination of the industry's health in the nation's biggest cities since 2000, before the high-tech bubble burst.
Between 2001 and 2004, thousands of tech workers lost jobs as the dot-com bubble deflated. Employment in the Seattle region hit a low point of 114,600 in 2003.
Recent data show the tech sector is "climbing back to 'pre-bubble-bursting' levels of employment and activity," Hansen said. The bubble of the late 1990s was the product of "an exuberance of investment" in companies that often lacked solid fundamentals, but the current growth is being driven by a more stable industry that has become integrated into the broader economy, he added.
Other findings in the report include:
# Seattle led the nation in the number of software-publishing jobs, with 43,600 workers.
# Technology workers in the Seattle area received an average wage of $96,200 in 2006, 93 percent more than the average private-sector wage. (Ranked fifth)
# The Seattle-area high-tech payroll was $12.3 billion in 2006. (Ranked eighth)
# There were 4,900 high-tech establishments in the Seattle area in 2006. (Ranked 15th)
# The Seattle area had 18,800 jobs in telecommunications services. (Ranked ninth)
This report includes information from The Associated Press. P-I reporter John Cook can be reached at 206-448-8075 or johncook@seattlepi.com. For more information on Seattle-area startups or venture capital firms, visit seattlepi.com/venture.
By JOHN COOK
P-I REPORTER
The Seattle area added the greatest number of high-tech jobs in 2006, outpacing Boston, San Francisco and more than 50 other U.S. cities, according to the Cybercities report from the American Electronics Association.
The report, released Tuesday, is another indication that the high-tech economy in the Seattle area continues to purr as companies such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon.com and dozens of startup enterprises add new workers. (The P-I recently reported on Microsoft's record employment growth, with 38,856 workers in the Puget Sound region and 89,809 worldwide as of May 31.)
The Seattle area added 7,800 jobs in the high-tech sector in 2006, a 6.5 percent increase over the previous year. The next-highest major "cybercity" was Phoenix, which experienced high-tech job growth of 4.3 percent. Of the medium-sized cybercities, Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., had the fastest job growth at 11.5 percent.
In absolute employment numbers, Seattle's tech work force now stands at 127,700. That makes it the ninth-biggest city for tech workers, according to the report.
And the latest surge in tech employment is bringing the region back to levels not seen since the dot-com boom years. In 2001, the AeA reported that the Seattle area -- including King, Pierce and Snohomish counties -- employed 129,400 in the tech sector.
Although the AeA report is based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2006 -- the most recent year available -- the industry continues to experience robust growth even as much of the rest of the economy slows, said Christopher Hansen, president and chief executive of the trade group.
"The tech sector is not laying people off," Hansen said. "If anything, the industry is having trouble getting enough people with the right credentials."
Although the trade group publishes an annual Cyberstates report, "Cybercities 2008" is the first examination of the industry's health in the nation's biggest cities since 2000, before the high-tech bubble burst.
Between 2001 and 2004, thousands of tech workers lost jobs as the dot-com bubble deflated. Employment in the Seattle region hit a low point of 114,600 in 2003.
Recent data show the tech sector is "climbing back to 'pre-bubble-bursting' levels of employment and activity," Hansen said. The bubble of the late 1990s was the product of "an exuberance of investment" in companies that often lacked solid fundamentals, but the current growth is being driven by a more stable industry that has become integrated into the broader economy, he added.
Other findings in the report include:
# Seattle led the nation in the number of software-publishing jobs, with 43,600 workers.
# Technology workers in the Seattle area received an average wage of $96,200 in 2006, 93 percent more than the average private-sector wage. (Ranked fifth)
# The Seattle-area high-tech payroll was $12.3 billion in 2006. (Ranked eighth)
# There were 4,900 high-tech establishments in the Seattle area in 2006. (Ranked 15th)
# The Seattle area had 18,800 jobs in telecommunications services. (Ranked ninth)
This report includes information from The Associated Press. P-I reporter John Cook can be reached at 206-448-8075 or johncook@seattlepi.com. For more information on Seattle-area startups or venture capital firms, visit seattlepi.com/venture.
Labels: employment, Seattle, Washington
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