Yes, Some Good News

At the end of a year seemingly filled with bad news from various sectors, there was some good news to report in the fourth quarter of 2020 by Arizona’s technology ecosystem.

Data in the latest quarterly Arizona Technology Industry Impact Report from the Arizona Technology Council revealed a 29% jump in STEM job postings in December 2020 vs. December 2019 and a 4.3% growth in technology companies here year-over-year. 

“Despite a challenging year caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Arizona’s technology sector was able to rebound quickly and even outpace Q4 2019 in several significant growth metrics,” says Steven G. Zylstra, the Council’s president and CEO. 

Positive data points in the latest report include a 6.2% employment growth in technology — higher than other states in the region — and a 1.02% increase in technology wages. 

Additional findings of the fourth quarter report included:

• Total technology industry wages – $22,665,834,342
• Total technology firms – 10,093
• Technology jobs multiplier – 3.76, meaning that for every 100 technology jobs added, 376 new jobs were created in other industries.
• Arizona’s African American technology workforce – 3.61% year-over-year increase

The Council also supplemented the data with published works highlighting Arizona leaders and organizations across a range of sectors. Featured leaders include:

• Lea Márquez Peterson, chairwoman, Arizona Commission
• Eric Miller, co-founder and principal, PADT
• Calline Sanchez, vice president of IBM Systems Lab Services and IBM Systems Technical University, and Arizona and New Mexico state leader for IBM
• Dr. Sunil Sharma, physician-in-chief, TGen

On the Council’s behalf, the quarterly report is compiled by eImpact, an organization that creates web-based, data-reporting solutions designed to help cities, industries and planners drive effective policy, create new growth and engage stakeholders. The report is based on eImpact’s analysis of data from Emsi, Brookings Institution, CompTIA, AngelList, National Science Board and others. 

Molly Castelazo, CEO and chief content strategist of Castelazo Content, also partnered with the Council to organize and develop the supplemental content and update the report design. 

The complete report is available on the Council website at aztc.eimpactv2.report/reports/view/5f08e79ae2cca70033382657.