Technology Employment Expands its Presence in the Illinois Workforce

5,800-plus new jobs in 2018 coupled with growing economic impact, according to CompTIA Cyberstates 2019™ report

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Mar 26, 2019, 12:45 ET

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Technology-related employment in Illinois grew by more than 5,800 new jobs in 2018 and the tech sector increased its contribution to the state's economy, according to Cyberstates 2019™, the definitive guide to national, state and metropolitan area tech sector and tech workforce analytics published annually by CompTIA, the leading technology industry association.

Net tech employment grew by an estimated 5,873 jobs in 2018, a 1.4 percent increase over 2017.¹ Since 2010 net tech employment has grown by nearly 57,000 new jobs.

The tech sector has an estimated direct economic impact of $55.5 billion, or about 7.3 percent of Illinois's total economy.

"Clearly the broad-based impact of the tech industry touches virtually every community, industry and market across Illinois, especially when you consider the thousands of knowledge workers who rely on technology to do their jobs," said Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO, CompTIA.

"Poised as the tech hub of the Midwest, Illinois was home to nearly 440,000 tech jobs in 2018, making it the fifth largest state for tech employment," said Alexi Madon, director of state government affairs for CompTIA in Illinois. "Of those jobs, the median tech annual wages exceeded $80,000 in 2018, 83 percent higher than the median wages across the state."

The outlook for future employment growth remains positive. Illinois saw a 69 percent increase in the number of job postings related to emerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things, smart cities, drones, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality and blockchain.

Cyberstates projects the base of tech occupation employment – a subset of net tech employment will grow by 5.1 percent in Illinois by 2026. Retirements will add even more pressure to meet the need for tech talent.

"The findings attest to a tech labor market that will remain tight as employers balance short-term needs with an eye towards the future," said Tim Herbert, senior vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA. "As digital-human models begin to unfold, employers and employees alike will face new challenges – and opportunities, in shaping the workforce of tomorrow."

Tech occupations with year over year growth in Illinois included software and web developers (+ 3.1 percent) and computer system and cybersecurity analysts (+ 2.9 percent).

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/.

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
[email protected]


¹ Net tech employment includes tech company workers in technical and non-technical positions, technical workers in other industries and self-employed technology workers.

SOURCE CompTIA