Against the backdrop of an eventful year, tech employment in Utah added new jobs and grew in depth and breadth, according to new research from CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce with offices in Lehi, Utah and the Chicago area.

CompTIA’s annual “State of the Tech Workforce” reveals that in 2022 net tech employment in Utah increased by 5,130 new jobs, a 4.3% growth rate that surpassed the 3.2% national figure. CompTIA forecasts a 4.9% increase in tech employment for Utah in 2023—about 6,100 net new jobs. 

According to CompTIA, the tech workforce consists of two primary components—technology professionals working in technical positions (IT support, network engineering, software development, data science, etc.) and business professionals employed by technology companies. Combined they are represented by the “net tech employment” designation.

Focusing on the Utah-specific data of its annual report, CompTIA has found that more than 123,000 people work in tech in Utah, spanning both technical and non-technical workers employed by tech companies and tech professionals who work in other industries, according to CompTIA's research. That represents 7.2% of the state’s workforce, the ninth highest percentage nationally. The median wage of $83,891 for a tech worker in Utah is 108% higher than the median wage for all occupations in the state.

According to CompTIA's research, Utah’s tech industry has an economic impact of $21.8 billion—10% of the state economy and the eighth highest percentage among all states. There are nearly 9,300 tech businesses in the state.

CompTIA’s “State of the Tech Workforce” is the most comprehensive source of data on the size and scope of the U.S. technology industry and workforce, according to the company, which specializes in gathering tech workforce data. The report includes data on employment, wages, business establishments, job postings, workforce diversity, emerging tech metrics and more. Among other Utah highlights from the new report:

  • Occupations poised for growth – Positions in cybersecurity and systems engineering (8.3%) and software development, programming, web development and quality assurance (6.4%) are projected to see the most growth in Utah this year.
  • Emerging tech employment opportunities – 28% of all tech jobs postings in the state last year were for occupations related to emerging technologies or for positions that required emerging tech skills.
  • Workforce diversity – Utah is in the fourth quartile in the report’s diversity index, a measurement of the depth and breadth of diversity in the tech workforce for seven primary race and ethnicity groups, as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Women account for 22% of the state’s workforce; Hispanic or Latino workers, 7%; and Black or African American workers, 1%.

The full report whichThe Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world’s leading information technology (IT) certification and training body. In late 2022, CompTIA acquired Pleasant Grove, Utah-based TestOut Corporation, covered by TechBuzz. includes national data is available at https://www.cyberstates.org/.

Note: 2022 Utah employment estimates and 2023 projections represent the most up-to-date data that CompTIA could gather at the time of publication. As with any labor market data source there is a lag effect, recent developments during late 2022 and early 2023 will likely not be fully reflected in the data.

CompTIA is a mission-driven organization committed to unlocking the potential of every student, career changer or professional seeking to begin or advance in a technology career. Each year CompTIA, directly and through its global network of partners, provides millions of people with training, education and certification opportunities designed to help them build career-ready IT skills.

To learn more visit https://www.comptia.org/

 

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