Technology is where job growth and good wages can be had, according to a new report that breaks down tech industries by states.
In the last quarter of 2015, for instance, 63,200 tech jobs were posted in New York, for a 44 percent increase from the year before.
New York ranked second nationally in the number of new jobs, third in payroll and fifth in average wages in 2015.
Next door in Connecticut, technology lagged behind the nation in wages and job openings but remained strong compared with the overall private sector.
The Cyberstates 2016 report was compiled by the Computing Technology Industry Association, a trade group that represents more than 2,000 companies and 3,000 academic and training partners.
CompTIA, as the organization is called, measured the size and scope of the tech sector, primarily using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and U.S. Census criteria.
Cloud computing, mobility, big data, automation and social technologies are reshaping businesses and work, the group stated.
The pace of connecting everything ”“ the so-called Internet of Things ”“ is accelerating.
Privacy issues, surveillance, hacking, espionage and state-sponsored cyberattacks will pressure organizations to invest more in computer security, CompTIA says.
The new technologies and evolving threats translate into opportunities for businesses and for the states that foster them.
Nationally, there were 473,500 tech businesses in 2015, an increase of 12,400 over the previous year and the fifth straight year of expansion.
The annual tech payroll reached $708 billion for 7.1 million jobs in 2015.
Tech workers in every state earned significantly more than the average private-sector workers, with the differences ranging from 36 percent in the District of Columbia to 151 percent in California.
Three out of every four new tech jobs in 2015 were in IT, followed by engineering, installation and repair, equipment assemblers, and programmers and operators.
While most areas of tech employment have grown, manufacturing has been trending downward for a decade but appears to have stabilized.
California had the largest tech presence by far. It”™s annual payroll of nearly $172 billion for more than 1.15 million jobs accounted for one-fourth of the nation”™s tech payroll.
New York also had a strong tech presence, with 369,533 jobs, 23,674 establishments and annual payroll of $40.4 billion. The average wage, at $109,200, was 62 percent higher than the private-sector average of $67,200.
Computer systems design, telecommunications, R&D testing labs, internet services and engineering services were the leading sectors.
Software developers, computer systems analysts, support specialists, systems managers, and network and computer systems administrators were the leading occupations by job growth.
The tech sector contributed an estimated 7.8 percent to the state economy, compared with 7.1 percent nationally.
Connecticut had 73,148 tech jobs, 6,272 establishments and a payroll of $7.5 billion. The average wage was $102,400, or 58 percent higher than the private-sector average of $64,800.
Computer systems design, telecommunications, engineering services, R&D and testing labs and measuring and control instrument manufacturing were the leading sectors.
Software developers, computer systems analysts, support specialists, computer and information systems managers and mechanical engineers were the leading occupations, by job growth.
Tech accounted for an estimated 6.7 percent of the Connecticut economy.
CompTIA said its market information, as well as training programs, certifications and events, allows technology companies to quickly understand developments, “and then do something.”
