| it weathered the storm better than the private | | | | engineering services. |
| sector at large, the U.S. high-tech industry clearly felt | | | | High-tech manufacturing employment were |
| the effect of the recession in 2009," said | | | | dramatically effected, losing 112,600 jobs (8 percent) |
| TechAmerica Head Phil Bond. | | | | in the U.S., but San Diego is not a high-tech |
| Software Engineer Jobs have come to be much | | | | manufacturing hub, Carroll said, so the effect here is |
| more competing in the US Tech Business. It was | | | | expected to be minimal. In 2008 California guided the |
| recently reported that around a quarter million | | | | U.S. high-tech trade. It employed 993,300 workers at |
| technology administrative and engineering careers | | | | 42,300 businesses in 2008. High-tech employees in |
| were shed in 2009, according to a TechAmerica | | | | California attained a standard annual salary of |
| Foundation Cyberstates statement. Many of the lost | | | | $105,500. |
| tech jobs had been in tech areas such as California | | | | California ranked first in the U.S. in computer systems |
| and Texas. | | | | design occupations; internet and telecommunications |
| California Engineer jobs amounted to almost 1 million | | | | services employment; research and development and |
| out of the 5.9 million employed nationally in the | | | | testing labs occupations; and engineering services |
| software and hardware trade. In second place was | | | | employment in 2008. Despite job losses in high-tech |
| Texas at 492,000. Rounding out the top five was | | | | countrywide, software services showed a little |
| New York, 309,000; Florida, at 292,000 and Virginia, | | | | increase, including 10,100 jobs inside the fourth |
| 283,000. These state statistics are for 2008 when | | | | quarter of 2009. |
| hiring cuts were barely starting. | | | | TechAmerica's president and CEO,Phil Bond, |
| As the largest tech economy in the country, | | | | commented that from the issues his organization is |
| California is experiencing these trends firsthand, | | | | striving from Congress to help develop the tech |
| said Kevin Carroll, regional director of TechAmerica | | | | enterprise environment overall is an extension of the |
| Southern California. | | | | research and development tax credit, that is certainly |
| The study identified that 5.9 million Americans were | | | | "grievously overdue." Without this kind of tax credit, |
| employed in the technology engineering business in | | | | "we are de facto encouraging the outsourcing of |
| 2009, a drop of 245,600 jobs, or 4 percent, from the | | | | innovation around the world," Bond said. |
| year just before. By and large private sector | | | | The organization is additionally suggesting the U.S. |
| occupations declined 5.2 percent in 2009. | | | | Department of Health and Human Services to |
| The most significant shortfalls came in high-tech | | | | motivate progress on its health IT programs. Bond |
| manufacturing, where employment dropped 8.1 | | | | said health IT "will require tens of thousands" of new |
| percent in 2009. By contrast, employment fell 3.9 | | | | very trained workers and may have "a very positive, |
| percent in communications services, 1.2 percent in | | | | stimulative effect" on job formation. |
| software services, and 3.6 percent in tech and | | | | |