High-tech manufacturing employment in the United States is up in the first six months of 2007. Technology manufacturers added 1,800 net jobs in the United States from January to June of 2007 for a total of 1.34 million jobs. This represents a slight 0.1 percent increase. High-tech services employment in the United States is also up, adding 116,600 net jobs in the United States from January to June of 2007. This represents a 2.6 percent rise. Within tech services, the most significant growth occurred in engineering and tech services, which added 52,600 jobs, a 3.3 percent rise. Software services added 51,100 jobs, also a 3.3 percent rise. Communications services increased by 12,900 jobs, or 1.0 percent, from January to June of 2007.
"This is the third straight year that the U.S. tech industry is adding jobs," said AeA's President and CEO, William T. Archey. "It is also the first year since the bursting of the high-tech bubble that all four tech sectors are experiencing job growth. This benefits the U.S. economy greatly because tech industry wages pay 86 percent more than the average private sector wage and support numerous other jobs."
"As good as this news is, we continue to believe tech industry job growth would be even more robust if U.S. policymakers were dealing with the challenges posed by heightened global competition and the lack of available qualified workers," continued Archey. "Congress and the President acknowledged these challenges by passing the America Competes Act in August. This legislation - which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support - expands programs to attract undergraduates to pursue degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and introduces creative programs to enhance the capabilities of math and science teachers. The tech industry desperately needs this talent. Companies continue to have thousands of unfilled positions across the country. It is now up to Congress and the President to fully fund the America Competes Act."
"But the initiatives in that legislation represent long-term solutions," concluded Archey. "Additionally, policymakers currently need to reform U.S. high-skilled visa policy. We should be attracting, not shunning, the best and brightest talent from around the world, either through temporary H-1B visas or permanent employment-based green cards. Instead, the United States places arbitrary caps on H-1Bs and imposes a time consuming, bureaucratic process on obtaining green cards."
