Jobs in high tech hit high employment numbers

A recent blog post at the Austin Chamber of Commerce website shares that due to constant growth in the industry, the number of technology jobs in the area has been steadily bouncing back to pre-recession levels. More than 138,500, or about 14.1 percent, of all jobs in Austin were in the tech industry in 2017, which is a slightly lower percentage than there were in 2007, but also double the national percentage. The tech sector had a jobs gain of 4.3 percent in 2017, which surpassed the 3.2 percent gain across all employment sectors. The number of tech firms has also grown significantly: Over the last five years, tech firms grew at 35.7 percent compared to 26 percent growth in all jobs. Tech employer firms in Austin make up 13.4 percent of total employers, and in fact make up a larger percentage of total firms than before the recession. Of these firms, the large majority are in nonmanufacturing industries. The average salary of an employee in high tech is $112,771, almost double the average annual salary of Austin residents, and it grew 6.2 percent in 2017. Tech jobs make up 26.6 percent of the Austin metro area’s total payroll. Check out the post for more details, statistics and charts.