Press Releases

Metro area is home to 28,000-plus tech workers, according to CompTIA Cyberstates 2019™

Des Moines, Iowa – Tech-related employment in the Des Moines metropolitan area held steady in 2018, according to Cyberstates 2019™,  the definitive guide to tech sector and workforce analytics released this week by CompTIA, the leading technology industry association.

Net tech employment grew by an estimated 805 new jobs last years, to 28,693 workers, or 7.2 percent of the region’s total workforce.[1] Nearly 6,100 tech-related jobs have been added to the local economy since 2010.

Tech occupations in high demand include software and web developers (+5.4 percent year over year growth) and computer system and cybersecurity analysts (+4.1 percent).

The median tech occupation wage in the market is $76,905; 76 percent higher than the median wage for all occupations.

The tech sector’s contribution to the local economy is estimated at $2.8 billion, equal to about 5.9 percent of the total economy.

“The tech industry touches virtually every community, industry and market, especially when you consider the tens of thousands of knowledge workers who rely on technology to do their jobs,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO, CompTIA. “Cyberstates confirms a healthy and promising future, but we can’t take it for granted. Industry, government and stakeholders across the tech landscape must continue to work together to ensure an environment where innovation can flourish and the opportunities and benefits made possible by technology are available to all.”

The outlook for future employment growth is positive. The Des Moines market saw a 47 percent increase in the number of job postings related to emerging technologies.

Cyberstates projects the Des Moines area’s base of tech occupation employment – a subset of net tech employment – will grow by an impressive 11 percent by 2026.

Cyberstates 2019 (#cyberstates) is based on CompTIA’s analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, EMSI, Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights, and other sources. Estimates for 2018 are subject to change as government data is revised and updated. The full report, with complete national, state and metropolitan level data, is available at https://www.cyberstates.org/.

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About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the more than 50 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world’s economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce. To learn more visit https://www.comptia.org/.

Contact:
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
+1 (630) 678-8468
sostrowski@comptia.org­