Press Releases

CompTIA Cyberstates™ 2018 finds sector’s economic impact exceeds $16 billion

Hartford, Conn. – Employment in Connecticut’s technology industry grew by an estimated 1,060 jobs in 2017 and the sector contributed $16.2 billion to the state’s economy, according to Cyberstates™ 2018, the definitive annual analysis of the nation’s tech industry published today by CompTIA, the world’s leading technology industry association.

With 140,600 workers, Connecticut ranks 25^th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in net tech employment.[1] The Connecticut tech workforce makes up 7.6 percent of the state’s total workforce. The average tech industry wage in Connecticut is $109,390; 64 percent higher than the state’s average private sector annual wage of $66,570.

The tech sector is responsible for an estimated 6.5 percent ($16.2 billion) of the overall economy in Connecticut. The number of tech business establishments in the state grew by 3.2 percent last year and now total nearly 6,700.

"The annual Cyberstates report reflects that our strong base of tech companies and our tremendous workforce continue to grow,” said Bruce Carlson, president and CEO of the Connecticut Technology Council. “Though both are on an upward trend, we are currently only experiencing a fraction of the potential the state has for growth in the tech sector. To take advantage of this moment and become the national leader we are capable of being, we will need to identify and quickly implement strategies that will help grow the workforce at the pace of demand."

Connecticut saw a 25.8 percent increase from 2016 to 2017 in the number of job postings related to emerging technologies – such as the Internet of Things, smart cities, drones, artificial intelligence, machine learning, virtual reality and augmented reality, and blockchain. While these positions accounted for only a small percentage of total tech job postings, it’s an indicator of where organizations are headed with the technology investments.

The strongest year-over-year job growth occurred in the categories of packaged software (+ 12.6 percent) and R&D, testing and engineering services (+ 5.9 percent).

Since, 2012, tech ranks third among all industries – behind only healthcare and hotels and restaurants – in the number of news jobs created in Connecticut.

Cyberstates 2018 (#cyberstates) is based on CompTIA’s analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, EMSI, Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights, and other sources. Estimates for 2017 are subject to change as government data is revised and updated. The complete Cyberstates 2018 report, with complete national, state and metropolitan level data, is available at http://www.cyberstates.org

About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $4.8 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the technology professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the global economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce. Visit www.comptia.org to learn more.

Contacts:

Preston Grisham
CompTIA
[email protected]
202-682-4458

Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA        
[email protected]­                                           
630-678-8468

[1] Net tech employment includes tech industry workers in technical and non-technical positions, technical workers in other industries and self-employed technology workers.