Employment

High Tech Employment Measures

Using some government statistics and then adding in some calculations of its own, Business Week magazine estimates there are 9.1 million workers in the U.S. high tech sector.

Here's how they add up:

  • As of 1996, some 3.8 million were employed in core industries -- such as computers, software and communications.

  • Add in another 1.8 million employed in associated industries -- sales, repairs and a portion employed in management consulting and temporary agencies.

  • Then there are about 3.5 million employed as programmers, network technicians and other high tech workers in the rest of the economy.

Output of major high tech sectors in 1996 is estimated at $420.3 billion -- nearly double 1988's $215.7 billion contribution to GDP. Last year's figure represents a 15 percent increase from 1995.

  • In 1996, the number of high tech jobs surged 4.9 percent -- versus a 2 percent increase in the rest of the economy.

  • With pay rising in the high tech sector, high tech jobs contributed roughly 20 percent to 25 percent of the growth in real wages and incomes last year.

Source: Michael J. Mandel, "Just How Big is High Tech?" Business Week, March 31, 1997.

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