New Hampshire Ranks High In High Tech Jobs

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New Hampshire Ranks High in High Tech

New Hampshire has a higher percentage of high-paying high-tech jobs than most of the country. According to TechAmerica Foundation–a research arm of the industry–the state ranks ninth in concentration of high-tech employment. That translates to 7.3 percent of the New Hampshire workforce. That’s above the national average at 5 percent. The foundation analyzed numbers from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and found that the average high-tech job in New Hampshire pays over $85,000 a year, versus $44,000 for other private sector jobs.

The state’s largest high-tech industries include software services, electronic component manufacturing, and internet and communication services.

While New Hampshire ranks above most of the nation in the percentage of these well-paying jobs, the state still lost 1,100 high-tech jobs last year. That number puts the state on par with the rest of the country for percentage of jobs lost. We are right in the middle, ranking 26th nationwide in loss of high tech jobs.

Despite the tight job market, many high-tech employers still cannot fill vacant positions.

“There are lots of job openings in the tech industry that are going unfilled, ” says Mathew Kazmierczak, Executive Director of TechAmerican Foundation. He says New Hampshire, like other states, needs to invest in education and training to maintain and build a high-tech workforce.

“The most critical thing for tech companies is a skilled workforce,” he says.

New Hampshire was recently awarded a federal grant of $20 million for its community colleges to train workers for these new, high-tech manufacturing jobs.