CLICK HERE. / " title="THE RHODE ISLAND TECHNOLOGY SECTOR has decreased by three industries in eight years. For a larger version of this image, CLICK HERE. /"/>PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island’s technology sector bucked the high-tech trend and lost ground in 2009 compared with 2001, according to data released to Providence Business News by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The data shows that the number of high-tech industries in Rhode Island has decreased slightly, and consequently, the average annual employment in the state has declined, going from 18,952 to 17,551 in the period.
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Nevertheless, the weighted average salary for the sector increased to $62,871 in 2009 from $50,544 in 2001.
In 2001, the Ocean State boasted 13 industries: pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing, communications equipment manufacturing, semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing, electronic instrument manufacturing, software publishers, wired telecommunications carriers, data processing, hosting and related services, architectural and engineering services, computer systems design and related services, scientific research and development services, Internet publishing and broadcasting, and telecommunications resellers.
By 2009, three industries had disappeared: computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing, electronic instrument manufacturing and telecommunications resellers.
The highest-paying industries last year were software publishing, with an average annual pay of $91,982, and pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, averaging $88,709 annually. In 2001, software publishers were the highest-paying, coming in at $99,505 annually, and computer systems design, at No. 2, averaged $66,840.
Electronic instrument manufacturing was the top employer in 2001, averaging 3,509 employees annually; computer systems design came close behind with an average of 3,448. Eight year later, computer systems design took the lead, averaging 5,191 employees annually.
The average annual pay grew in several industries, most notably in pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing, up $34,104, and communications equipment manufacturing, which grew by $25,191.
The semiconductor and electronic component manufacturer annual pay experienced the least amount of change, increasing by an average of $2,947 annually; the industry registered the lowest annual salary in the Rhode Island tech sector in 2009, averaging $45,784.
