Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Tech Time
Posted By Babs De Lay on August 28, 2019, 4:00 AM
You might have heard of the report by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute about tech jobs in Utah from one of your fellow techies. Why? Because one out of seven jobs in this state is tech related. A hundred years ago, the only tech was more "mech," which was either operating heavy equipment in Utah mines or working on the railroads ... and all of those jobs were held by men with the exception when soldiers went off to war. Careertrend.com notes that in the 1900s, women increasingly took over clerical work and it was their only acceptable job unless they owned or were owners in a company or farm. Tech for women back then was pounding on typewriters and ringing up sales on cash registers.
Although studies show that Utah tech company jobs are predominantly filled by white or Asian males, there are plenty of women working for the "Big 6": Adobe, eBay, Overstock, L3 Technologies, IM Flash and Clearlink. The website Comparably found that Adobe was one of the best companies for women to work for in 2017. The Gardner report counts 6,711 companies in the state's tech sector, with most of the jobs and firms located along the Wasatch Front. And there were 118,600 high-paying jobs in our tech industry. Interestingly, from 2008-18, Utah's tech industry job growth was almost 5% per year, ending up as third-highest in the country. Salt Lake City had the most tech companies in the state last year (916) with 3,738 in Salt Lake County. Compare that with St. George (a new growth area for tech) which had 134 tech companies with 238 total in Washington County.
Yet, tech is only the third-largest employer in Utah. What are No. 1 and No. 2? Leisure and hospitality (fitness, travel, sports, hotels, resorts) and construction take the first two slots. What jobs make the most money? In culling different websites, it appears that the average Utahn makes $58,500 to $67,741 annually, but the average tech job brings in more than $100,000 per year, according to the Utah Department of Workforce Services.
The report's most astounding figure is that 1.5% of employed women in the state hold tech jobs vs. 6.6% of men. "Tech occupations nationwide attract more than three times as many men as women. In 2017, 22.5% of U.S. tech workers were female," according to the report. But in Utah, during that same year, "women made up only 15.2% of Utah workers in the industry." I saw a television report that some prisons are training female inmates to do coding. The Utah State Prison offers inmates vocational training and female inmates can earn certificates in business technology.
Want to make more money? Time to sign up for classes at a nearby school!
About The Author
Babs De Lay
A full-time broker/owner of Urban Utah Homes and Estates, Babs De Lay serves on the Salt Lake City Historic Landmark Commission. A writer and golfer, you'll find them working as a staff guardian at the Temple at Burning Man each year.
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