Luke Satterfield, from right, of the Cullman Industrial Development Board gets a lesson on Wallace State Community College’s excavator simulator from Dean of Dean of Applied Technologies Jimmy Hodges and WWCC student Jacob Smith.

Technology-related employment in Alabama brought a more than $13 billion economic impact in 2018, or almost 7 percent of the state’s total economy, according to the Computing Technology Industry Association.

Alabama saw nearly 1,900 new workers in the tech field last year, raising the total to 147,000 across the state, CompTIA reported Tuesday.

“Clearly the broad-based impact of the tech industry touches virtually every community, company, industry and market across Alabama, especially when you consider the tens of thousands of knowledge workers who rely on technology to do their jobs,” said Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO, CompTIA.

Alabama also saw a 57 percent increase in the number of job postings related to emerging technologies.

Since 2010 net tech employment has grown by 10,000 new jobs.

Cullman Economic Development Agency Director Dale Greer said tech skills are reaching deeper into just about every aspect of employment and future economic growth.

“We have four companies with research and development centers in Cullman, which has been a valuable boost to our economy and the success of those industries,” Greer said. “You’re behind in the game if you are not in touch with the changes and demands technology is bringing to the workplace and pretty much everything.”

Greer said one goal for Cullman is to drive the role of Technology Village to help entrepreneurs become established in the area.

“What you anticipate is that some of them will establish a company, start to grow and stay here and add new employment,” Greer said. “We know that happens in places where these opportunities are provided.”

Tech occupations that experienced year over year growth in Alabama included software and web developers (+ 3.7 percent); computer support specialists (+ 3.1 percent) and network architects, administrators and support specialists (+ 1 percent). The median tech occupation wage is $77,956; 109 percent higher than the median wage for all occupations in the state.

“The findings attest to a tech labor market that will remain tight as employers balance short-term needs with an eye towards the future,” said Tim Herbert, senior vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA.

Cyberstates 2019 (#cyberstates) is based on CompTIA’s analysis of data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, EMSI, Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights, and other sources. Estimates for 2018 are 

CompTIA is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem, and the more than 50 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world’s economy.