Editor's Note: An earlier version of this post was removed because of inaccuracy in unemployment figures.
A few recent signs show that job prospects for tech professionals are good this year.
Recent Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers show the unemployment rates for techies are much lower than the national average. The U.S. unemployment rate at the end of 2012 was 7.8 percent, more than twice the 3.3 percent for tech professionals.
As Ted Samson points out in this InfoWorld article, BLS numbers “should be consumed with a dash of salt.”
“First off, the bureau has a way of lumping arguably nontechnical jobs into its computer-oriented categories. Second, the BLS doesn't factor in people who are unemployed because they have given up on finding jobs.”
That being said, here are unemployment rates for specific professions: 1.5 percent for database administrators; 1.9 percent for network architects; 2.9 percent for software developers; 3.3 percent for computer systems analysts; 4.3 percent for network and systems administrators; and 4.6 percent for programmers.
Other reports seem to confirm the positive job prospects for tech employees. Tech salaries are expected to see a big average increase, according to a 2013 salary guide released by staffing and consulting firm Robert Half International. A December 2012 report released by the Engine Advocacy and the Bay Area Council Economic Institute stated that, between 2002 and 2011, job growth in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields has outpaced all other occupations by a ratio of 27 to one. And this demand is expected to continue through 2020. What’s more, high-tech and STEM employees are paid between 17 and 27 percent more than workers in other fields.
Finally, for what it’s worth, of the 15 best jobs for 2013 that CBS News’ Market Watch picked out, about half were in tech fields, including software developer, computer systems analyst, information security analyst, mechanical engineer, and computer programmer.
PHOTO: Biappi, Flickr
Prachi Patel is a freelance journalist based in Pittsburgh. She writes about energy, biotechnology, materials science, nanotechnology, and computing.
