Fri, 26 Oct 2012

Despite a job report showing consistent albeit modest job growth across the US tech sector, the industry “can’t take its strength for granted”, according to the president of industry advocacy group TechAmerica Foundation.

Jennifer Kerber comments: “Global economic and market forces continue to put the technology industry in a position of intense competition – a competition for innovation, where labour and intellectual property provide the foundation for growth.

“America can only realize the full promise of an innovation economy with smarter public policies focused on developing and attracting the best talent, investing in research and development, and growing and securing our information infrastructure.”

She was commenting on the foundation’s job report which showed that across the first six months of 2012, the industry added 100,000 jobs, a 1.7% growth.

By sub-sector, the software services, engineering & tech services and technology manufacturing areas saw job growth, while the communications services industry saw job delince, which the report puts down to adjustments to market conditions in the wired telecommunications industry.

The sector now employs nearly 6m people in the US, around 4% of the total labour force.