Florida's Tech Industry Adds 10,900 Jobs
Florida Is the 4th Largest and 2nd Fastest Growing Cyberstate by Tech Employment

Orlando, FL (April 24, 2007) – AeA, the nation’s largest technology trade association with 2,500 member companies representing all segments of the high-tech industry, today released its 10th anniversary Cyberstates report detailing national and state trends in high-tech employment, wages, and other key economic factors. The report, Cyberstates 2007: A Complete State-by-State Overview of the High-Technology Industry, covers all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Florida is the 4th largest and 2nd fastest growing cyberstate by tech industry employment. Florida’s high-tech industry added a net 10,900 jobs for an industry total of 276,400 tech workers in 2005, the most current state data available.

A number of Florida’s high-tech sectors are showing strong job growth. Tech manufacturing added 2,100 net jobs in 2005, in large part driven by a 1,500 net job increase in the defense electronics sector. Among the tech services sectors, engineering services saw the largest increase (+4,600 jobs), followed by computer systems design and related services (+2,500 jobs), and Internet services (+1,100 jobs).

"Florida’s high-tech industry is riding the crest of a wave,” said Amjad Shamim, CEO of AAJ Technologies and Chair of AeA's Florida Council. "While other states are only now beginning to recover from the bursting of the tech bubble in 2001, we have seen two straight years of some of the fastest growth in tech industry jobs in the country. While other states continue to see their tech manufacturing base erode, Florida added manufacturing jobs. And this growth benefits the entire state economy. The average tech industry wage in Florida pays 70 percent more than the average wage of Florida’s private sector.”

"From our vantage point very few people realize that Florida is a high-tech state,” stated Todd Rader, CEO of Avancent Consulting and Vice-Chair of AeA's Florida Council. “In fact, most Floridians would not see the Sunshine State as a high-tech giant, even though we are the 4th largest and 2nd fastest growing cyberstate in absolute number of jobs."

Nationally, Cyberstates 2007 shows that the high-tech industry is picking up. High-tech employment was up by 146,600 out of 5.8 million workers in 2006, the second year in a row that the U.S. tech industry has added jobs.

This 10th edition of Cyberstates provides a comprehensive review of the high-tech industry nationally and state-by-state in terms of high-tech employment, wages, payroll, and establishments. Cyberstates also offers data on venture capital investments and R&D expenditures.

A national and state-by-state analysis of the technology industry and international trade will appear in a forthcoming AeA report entitled Trade in the Cyberstates 2007: A State-by-State Overview of High-Tech International Trade.

AeA members can purchase Cyberstates 2007 for $125; non-members for $250. Visit www.aeanet.org/cyberstates to download the report, or call 408.987.4200.

What Does High Tech Mean for Florida?

• 276,400 high-tech workers (4th ranked cyberstate)
   
• 10,900 jobs added between 2004 and 2005, ranked 2nd nationwide
   
• High-tech firms employed 41 of every 1,000 private sector workers in 2005, ranked 30th nationwide
   
• High-tech workers earned an average wage of $61,100 (29th ranked), or 70 percent more than Florida's average private sector wage
   
• A high-tech payroll of $16.9 billion in 2005, ranked 6th nationwide
   
• 21,000 high-tech establishments in 2005, ranked 3rd nationwide
   
• Venture capital investments of $304 million in 2006, ranked 15th nationwide
   
• R&D expenditures of $5.7 billion in 2004, ranked 16th nationwide

Florida's National Industry Sector Rankings:

• 3rd in telecommunications services employment with 64,800 jobs
   
• 3rd in engineering services employment with 54,600 jobs
   
• 3rd in Internet services employment with 25,700 jobs

Source: Cyberstates 2007

Data are for 2005 unless otherwise noted.

2005 state data are the most current available for employment, wages, payroll, establishments, and industry sector jobs.

Published by AeA, Advancing the Business of Technology (www.aeanet.org)

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About AeA

AeA, the nation’s largest technology trade association with 2,500 member companies representing all segments of the high-tech industry, is dedicated solely to helping our members’ top line and bottom line. We do this in partnership with our small, medium, and large member companies by lobbying governments at the state, federal, and international levels, providing access to capital and business opportunities, and offering select business services and networking programs. For more information, please visit www.aeanet.org.

This page was last updated on 04/23/07.  
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