Tech Sector's Eyes On The Skies | Hiring has nowhere to go but up
There is very little holding down the technology industry in Massachusetts in 2011.
“The stars are in alignment for growth in this sector,” said Tom Hopcroft, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council. “All the raw ingredients are there.”
In fact, the council put forth a challenge to its members at its March annual meeting to grow by more than 100,000 jobs over the decade in key areas such as robotics, digital games and mobile applications, and Hopcroft says all the factors are in place to make it happen.
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Central Massachusetts, he said, is especially positioned to maximize its potential in IT. The MassTLC2020 Challenge to spur job growth is crucial to not only the sector but the commonwealth, says Hopcroft.
“Information Technology is the only sector with potential to push the needle on growth and boost the state’s economy,” he said. Also, innovation in other sectors drives IT, pointed out Hopcroft — everything from medical devices to mobile communications to online trading spawn growth.
What makes Central Massachusetts so ripe for IT growth and jobs?
For one thing, a hub of colleges and universities with strong leadership, Hopcroft said. It provides a built-in talented workforce in a time when many IT companies are having a hard time finding certain kinds of employees.
After health care, IT is the largest sector, said Hopcroft, who is looking forward to “a ton of grads” to flesh out firms in the coming years.
Chipmaker Intel, which has operations in Hudson, has always found a strong talent pool in Massachusetts.
“We are always on the lookout for additional support and Massachusetts is a great place to do that,” said Ann Hurd, spokesperson for Intel.
Intel recently placed an ad looking for analog, computer-aided design, component design, hardware and product engineers in its Hudson location.
The wage scale for IT jobs — higher than in many other industries — is another huge bonus to the state’s balance sheet, as it relates to taxes and giving back to the community, said Hopcroft. The Bay State is also heavily empowered in terms of research and development capital, workforce funding and potential customer bases.
“Cisco’s mobile headquarters are here (in Boxborough), Google is here (in Boston)… They want to do business in the state,” said Hopcroft. “We need to thrive off this wave of innovation.”
Susan Shalhoub is a freelance writer based in Dudley. She can be reached at sshalhoub@gmail.com.
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