Growth in DC-area tech industry employment outpaces rest of nation, other local industries

Industry now accounts for about 7.5 percent of all local jobs

By Bob Keefe | July 19, 2010

Tech industry employment is growing faster in the Washington metro area than in the rest of the country, and the industry is becoming an increasingly bigger and more important part of the region's total economy, new research from Alexandria, Va.-based TechServe Alliance shows.

In May, information technology industry employment in the greater Washington metro area grew by as much as 3 percent from a year earlier, according to employment researcher Bruce Steinberg, who produced the report for TechServe Alliance.

IT industry jobs - both in government and in the private sector - have grown as much as four times faster than the total employment market locally, according to Steinberg. As a result, the region's IT sector now accounts for about 7.5 percent of the region's total 2.4 million jobs, he said.

"What is shows is that this area has really become a nexus for information technology services," Steinberg said. "The fact is, a lot of high-tech companies have recognized the talent and the education of the population here."


More than 180,000 residents of the District and parts of northern Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia now work in technology jobs, Steinberg estimates.

Not surprisingly, the biggest growth driver for IT jobs locally has been the federal government. The government's emphasis on improving efficiency and on cybersecurity has spawned major contracts for local tech companies and employees at a time when lackluster consumer spending and the lousy economy has other tech hubs still contracting.

Nationally IT jobs grew by 0.7 percent in June from a year earlier, according to the study from TechServe Alliance, a collaboration of IT firms, clients, consultants and suppliers. That outpaced overall job creation in the private sector nationwide.

Even so, there were indications of slowing - at least outside of the Washington area. In June, the number of IT jobs grew by only 3,600 nationwide after increasing by 9,200 in May, according to the study. (Local figures for June were unavailable).

Still, June's increase nationally marked the sixth consecutive month of growth nationwide in the IT sector - something other industries could only hope for.

"While macroeconomic trends always have the potential to derail the growth trajectory of IT employment, we remain heartened by the 6 consecutive months of growth to-date," TechServe Alliance CEO Mark Roberts said in a statement.



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