A new report from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation claims for the area the title of highest number of high-tech jobs, beating out all other metro regions around the U.S.
As reported in “High Tech in L.A.: Its Employment and Economic Contribution in 2013,” the county had 368,500 jobs classified as high-tech in 2013, with the classification based on the percentage of jobs in an industry being “technology-oriented.” Most of these jobs, reports the San Fernando Valley Business Journal, were created in “aerospace, wholesale production, engineering, consulting and computer software development.”
The jobs, according to the report, accounted for 9 percent of the county’s employment, and 17 percent of total wages. The Economic Development Corporation’s CEO, Bill Allen, called the high-tech jobs “…pathways out of poverty, pathways to the middle class, pathways to prosperity for individuals and their families,” says The LA Times.
To put the numbers into perspective, the Times leads with this intriguing comparison: “Los Angeles County companies now employ more workers in high-technology jobs than they do in more entrenched sectors such as manufacturing, food services or construction.”
At Los Angeles Innovation Week, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said of the report’s findings, “Los Angeles’ tech industry is now as critical to our economy as our manufacturing and entertainment sectors. We are outperforming New York, Boston and Santa Clara County in the heart of the Silicon Valley.” The Los Angeles Daily News has further coverage of the mayor’s comments regarding the relationship between these employment numbers and education. According to a release on Innovation Week, over 30 events are planned, “celebrating and highlighting the many companies and institutions that are the driving force behind Los Angeles’ innovation economy.”
The report found that “the economic contribution of high tech in L.A. in 2013 included $58.7 billion in labor income, and $108.3 to regional GDP.”
Kachina Shaw is managing editor for IT Business Edge and has been writing and editing about IT and the business for 15 years. She writes about IT careers, management, technology trends and managing risk. Follow Kachina on Twitter @Kachina and on Google+