Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Colorado Loses Top Tech Workforce Ranking

Colorado has been knocked from its perch as the state with the greatest concentration of high-tech workers, according to a report published Tuesday by the American Electronics Association. A loss of some 1,700 tech-related jobs caused the Centennial State, which had enjoyed a No.1 ranking for the previous nine years, to slip to third-place in the 10th and latest edition of AeA's Cyberstates report. The study, which is based on 2005 data, was kinder to states elsewhere in the Rocky Mountains region as Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Idaho all posted gains in ranking and in total tech jobs. With an estimated 3,400 new jobs, Utah added more technology positions than anyone in the Rockies, which bumped it up from the No.27 spot to No.26. Arizona increased its tech job total by 800, which was enough to move it into fourth place overall. New Mexico and Idaho garnered the sixth and seventh slots by pulling in 300 and 1,110 new tech jobs, respectively. With some 2,500 member companies, the American Electronics Association is the nation's largest technology trade association.