Unlikely State Is Tops in Tech Job Hiring
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Many might assume that California’s Silicon Valley is the top place looking to fill high-tech jobs, but according to a new report, Michigan is the place to be.
A report by the TechAmerica Foundation revealed that Michigan added the most technology jobs last year, bringing in 2,700 high-tech jobs between 2009 and 2010, a nearly 2 percent increase from the year before. Michigan now boasts 155,100 technology employees.
"The fact that Michigan added more tech jobs in 2010 than any other state may surprise people — including people within the state," Ed Longanecker, executive director and regional vice president of TechAmerica Midwest, said in a statement. "But job gains in key sectors such as software and research and development have helped the state recover from hard economic times." [Read: 12 Ways Steve Jobs Changed the Way We Work]
The news comes at a time when the United States economy and the technology industry have struggled. In fact, the economy eliminated about 115,800 tech positions last year while the unemployment rate remained stubbornly high.
Washington, D.C., ranked second as the state hiring the most tech employees, adding 1,400 tech jobs last year. West Virginia and Utah added 400 tech positions and South Carolina added 300 to round out the top five spots.
The TechAmerica Foundation found that tech workers earned an annual average salary of $86,800 in 2010, 93 percent more than the average private-sector wage of $45,000.
California may not be hiring as much as the other states, but it still has the most overall tech positions with 931,000 employees in the field. The other top states with the most employed in the tech industry include Texas (456,500), New York (294,700), Virginia (277,600) and Florida (267,500).
Reach TechNewsDaily senior writer Samantha Murphy at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @SamMurphy_TMN
