The tech industry continues to play an outsized role in the Oregon economy.
The state landed in the top 10 for tech’s economic impact as a percent of the state economy (No. 6) and the percentage of the workforce that works in tech (No. 10).
The data comes from the latest State of the Tech Workforce report from IT trade association CompTIA.
Across the state, 139,350 workers are employed in tech either at tech companies or at a non-tech company in a tech role. The median tech wage for the state is $97,171, which is 115% higher than the median state wage, according to the report.
In Oregon, the tech sector has a $28.6 billion direct economic impact.
For the Portland Metro, 9% of the workforce is in tech, where the median wage is $104,273, 113% higher than the median metro wage, according to the report.
Between 2021 and 2022, the area logged tech job growth of 2.6%, or 3,071 jobs. CompTIA expects the metro to record the same job growth numbers this year. For the state, tech employment grew 4% between 2021 and 2022, or by 4,047 jobs.
The trade group expects the state's growth to slow slightly this year, at 2.8% between 2022 and 2023.
The largest concentration of state and metro tech employment is in tech manufacturing. That's not surprising given the huge footprint of semiconductor manufacturing in the state. Intel alone is Oregon largest private employer.
Here’s some other highlights of the report:
- In Oregon, tech’s impact as a percentage of the state economy is 10.9%. For the Portland metro, that number jumps to 14.4%.
- 6.7% of the Oregon workforce is in tech. For the Portland metro, it’s 9%.
- 37% of the tech industry jobs in the Portland metro are inside tech companies.
- The leading tech occupation in the Portland metro is software, though tech manufacturing as an industry sector is bigger.
While last year was dotted with layoffs at large companies and startups across the country, many local companies are hiring. The Business Journal crafted this list of the fastest-hiring companies. Semiconductor startup Ampere Computing, with 25% growth between 2022 and 2023 in its local headcount, topped the list. It now employs 250 workers.
Across the country, data scientists and analysts are in demand. Other high growth occupations include cybersecurity analysts , web designers, UI/UX professionals, software developers and software quality assurance and testers.
The national data also shows job postings shifting to reflect work-from-home or hybrid options, with 34% of listings offering these alternatives. That's a 146% increase in such listings from pre-pandemic levels, according to CompTIA.
