washington business
“The definition of ‘high-tech’ has been made more difficult in a world in which information technologies and other advanced technologies
influence the way that business is done in every industry.”
He finds that technology employment in the state has grown from 96,000 jobs in 1974, woven primarily into the aerospace sector, to
410,000 in 2013, accounting now for 14.1 percent of statewide employment. Tech quadrupled while employment in other industries doubled.
When jobs created as a result of the industry are considered (the “multiplier effect”), Beyers estimates the sector is responsible for 1.4 million
jobs, or 42 percent of total employment.
Beyers’ research includes aerospace, notably The Boeing Company, which for years defined the state’s tech economy. In the aerospace
shadow, however, grew the dynamic tech sector that changed the way we live our daily lives.
Excluding aerospace, the Washington Research Council
(WRC) finds that tech accounts for nearly two-thirds of
Washington’s job growth since 1990 and more than half the
growth in employee compensation.
“The definition of ‘high-tech’ has been
made more difficult in a world in which
information technologies and other
advanced technologies influence the way
that business is done in every industry.”
— Professor William Beyers, University of Washington
information and communications
technology: it’s everywhere
The Washington Technology Industry Association
(WTIA), along with the state Department of Commerce,
recently commissioned a study of the Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) cluster. In a March
2015 blog post, WTIA President Michael Schutzler
summarized some of the findings: The sector consists
of more than 8,600 companies, 90 percent with fewer
than 20 employees. With more than 90,000 software
development engineers, data scientists and ‘coding
ninjas,’ Schutzler writes, the region employs more in
these occupations than any other tech community in
the nation.
The analysis, conducted by Community Attributes
Inc. (CAI), finds the cluster paid out $22 billion in
wages in 2013, with a median wage range of $100,000
to $140,000. CAI estimates “an economic impact of at
least seven additional jobs in Washington associated
with every essential ICT worker.”
Chris Mefford, CAI president, considers the sector in
two defining dimensions: companies and talent. He points
out that many companies not commonly considered tech
firms have strong tech components. His analysis notes,
“Starbucks employs more ICT talent than most ICT
companies.”
# of companies per industry cluster
in washington state
Metropolitan Technology
Life Sciences
600
900
Information and Communications Technology
8,600
spri