Kathy Blake| The Oakland Press
Michigan ranked third in the nation for high-tech job growth from 2010-2011, a new study by Engine Advocacy of San Francisco showed.
The report also said Lansing ranks as the sixth top metropolitan area in the nation for high-tech job growth over the same period, and Warren/Troy/Farmington ranked 13th.
“This news really captures what is special about Michigan — we discover things, we make things, and we make things work,” said Michael A. Finney, Michigan Economic Development Corp. president and CEO. “Very few places in the world can match our technology leadership, R&D capabilities, and world-class workforce. These strengths make us a great location for high-tech innovators to grow their businesses and create jobs.”
Michigan ranked No. 3 in the top 10 states for high-tech employment growth from 2010-2011;
East Lansing/Lansing ranked No. 6 for Top 25 Metros for High Tech Employment Growth from 2010-2011; and
Warren/Troy/Farmington ranked No. 13 for Top 25 Metros for High Tech Employment Growth from 2010-2011.
“This is great news for the Lansing area and for the state of Michigan,” said Travis Stoliker, Marketing Director of Liquid Web, a Lansing-based web hosting company. “Now our challenge is to build on this positive momentum and continue to encourage and support technology startups, entrepreneurs, education and training.”
“We are proud to be part of the ‘bright spot’ of Michigan’s rebounding economy,” said Joe Ford, co-founder of Netvantage Marketing, a Lansing search engine marketing firm with an office in Grand Rapids.
“The technology sector will continue to boost Michigan’s economy and make the Great Lakes state a hotspot for innovation on the global stage. We should continue to invest in talent to spur new tech startups in Michigan,” Ford said.
Jobs in high-tech industries exist almost everywhere in the United States, with at least one high-tech business in 98 percent of the nation’s counties. Employment growth in the high-tech sector has outpaced growth in the private sector by a ratio of three-to-one since the dot-com bust in early 2004. High-tech job growth is projected to outpace the job growth of the economy as a whole over the decade, expanding by 16.2 percent between 2011 and 2020.
For more information on the study visit: www.engine.is/techworks.
