Over 500,000 US tech jobs lost in 2 years

InfoWorld ^ | March 19, 2003 | Tom Krazit

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

Software services industry added more than 5,000 jobs

The American Electronics Association (AeA) has put a number on the job losses suffered by high-tech workers over the last two years, reporting that about 560,000 jobs have been lost from the height of the dot-com era.

The majority of those positions were lost in the manufacturing, according to a press release Wednesday. That sector shed 415,300 jobs from January 2001 to December 2002, a 20 percent decrease. High-tech manufacturing companies were described as PC and server vendors, semiconductor companies, consumer electronics companies, and medical equipment makers, said William Archey, president and chief executive officer of the AeA, based in Washington, D.C.

The decline in manufacturing jobs was one of the biggest surprises of the survey, as the AeA did not expect such a steep decline in this sector, Archey said.

The number of workers in communications services positions, such as telecommunications workers, decreased by 135,300 jobs, or 9.2 percent. "The telecom sector remains very moribund, with almost everything in wireless or telecommunications taking a big hit," he said.

On the other hand, the software services industry managed to add 5,300 jobs. Companies like SAP and Oracle comprise the software services industry, which reflects the increased importance of enterprise software to corporations, the report said.

The AeA is a trade association made up of over 3,000 high-tech companies. The data used in this report was taken from reports submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Tom Krazit is a U.S. correspondent for the IDG News Service, an InfoWorld affiliate.

[UB355]

Not surprising, hoisted on their own Y2K petard.

[Centurion2000]

YIKES ..... and a boatload of them were from Dallas.

[First_Salute]

No doubt his excellency will spin this one, too.

[Petronski]

Is that a NET loss?

[Zack Nguyen]

I wonder if our relentless free trade policies will be in jeopardy, now that HB1 has contributed to the loss of white collar jobs, and it is no longer simply a blue-collar phenomenon.

[RnMomof7]

The decline in manufacturing jobs was one of the biggest surprises of the survey, as the AeA did not expect such a steep decline in this sector, Archey said.

Yes they think they are bullet proof..

[RnMomof7]

I wonder if our relentless free trade policies will be in jeopardy, now that HB1 has contributed to the loss of white collar jobs, and it is no longer simply a blue-collar phenomenon.

Yea somehow it "feels" ok to throw the dumb assembly line guy out of work..he was too stupid to go to college and learn to be a brain surgeon..But the Tech jobs......well these are the "smart "guys

[Conspiracy Guy]

"The decline in manufacturing jobs was one of the biggest surprises of the survey, as the AeA did not expect such a steep decline in this sector", Archey said.

When the dot comms (artificially stimulated thin wall bubble) went bust guess who they owed more than anybody else except the banks, MFR. Then the surplus of parts, routers, servers, hubs, etc. being sold for pennies on the dollar made it a double wham. How could the AeA not expect it. Are they as ditsy as the dot commers?

[iamright]

On the other hand, the software services industry managed to add 5,300 jobs. Companies like SAP and Oracle comprise the software services industry, which reflects the increased importance of enterprise software to corporations, the report said.

This is my area. I guarantee I have seen a huge decline here as well. If there has been any growth at all, which I dispute, it has been ONLY H1-B an L1 visa immigrants. Where I work the new motto is "3 for 1 from India".