Florida Computer Jobs Decreasing
Florida computer jobs are declining.
According to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida’s information industry employed 155,700 workers during August 2008, down from 157,300 jobs in July. This is a 3.5 percent decrease from last year.
Overall employment in the state reached 7,924,400 people during August, down from 7,935,500 in July, a decrease of 1.2 percent from last year. The state has been consistently losing jobs during the last few months.
The occupations with the highest employment in the information technology industry include: customer service representatives, computer support specialists, computer systems software engineers and computer applications software engineers. These four occupations account for about 20 percent of employment in the industry.
Most employers in the industry are concentrated along the coast and central parts of the state, according to the State of Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation. Of the 15 largest occupations, electrical and electronic equipment assemblers are projected to lose 864 jobs through 2014.
In 2005, the average annual wage for a Florida worker in the information technology industry was $60,835. Customer service representatives alone are the largest occupation in the industry, and on average make a salary of $28,112 per year or $13.52 per hour. Among the 15 largest occupations, salaries range from $38.25 per hour for computer systems software engineering to $11.36 per hour for general office clerks. The highest paying occupations are engineering-related.
Higher wages are found in occupations with greater training requirements. Fourteen of the 15 largest information technology occupations require additional certification beyond a high school diploma, such as some postsecondary vocational certifications, an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree.