Tech employment in state increases by 6,530 jobs

DENVER — Employment in Colorado’s technology industry increased by an estimated 6,530 jobs in 2017 and the industry’s contribution to the state’s economy climbed to more than $43 billion, according to an industry advocacy association.

The association, CompTIA, said in a report this week that 2017 tech employment in Colorado grew by 2.3 percent, the 10th highest rate in the country. With 285,300 workers, Colorado ranks 15th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia in net tech employment.

The tech sector is responsible for an estimated 14 percent ($43.4 billion) of the overall economy in Colorado, which is home to some 16,563 tech business establishments, according to CompTIA.

“Colorado’s collaborative, innovative tech community continues to propel the state’s economy,” said Monica Coughlin, Interim president and CEO at Colorado Technology Association. “We see it every day working with partners and leaders, and CompTIA’s research highlights the immense impact tech has on Colorado’s success.”

Among the findings of CompTIA’s research: The Colorado tech workforce makes up 9.7 percent of the state’s total workforce, and the average tech industry wage in Colorado is $110,550, which is 98 percent higher than the state’s average private sector annual wage of $55,710.

Colorado saw a 44.3 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, according to the report. While these positions accounted for a small percentage of total tech job postings, it indicates where organizations are headed with the technology investments.

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