Michigan bucks national trend in high-tech job growth

Posted on October 5, 2011

Michigan led the nation in high-tech job growth from 2009 to 2010, according to a new report released Wednesday.

Data from the TechAmerica Foundation shows that the state enjoyed a net gain of 2,700 technology jobs last year, which amounts to a 2% increase. The new positions were added in several sectors, including research and development and testing laboratories, Internet and software publishers and firms engaged in computer systems design and related services.

The report ranked Michigan 15th among all states when it comes to high-tech employment and wages. The Great Lakes state has 155,100 tech industry workers, who earned $11.5 billion last year.

Michigan’s gain came as the nation as a whole lost 115,800 technology jobs in 2010, a 2% decline. But TechAmerica found this downward trend reversed itself in the first half of this year.

The report also reveals:

• Michigan has 9,700 high-tech companies, ranking it 15th in the country.

• Michigan ranks fourth for R&D and testing labs employment and fourth in the number of engineering services workers.

• High-tech workers in Michigan earned an average wage of $74,200, which is 77% more than the state’s average private sector wage.

• High-tech companies employ 49 out of every 1,000 private sector workers in the state.