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WashTech Reports |
WashTech wishes to thank the Ford Foundation for
their generous support of our research intiative.
| Report: | Information Technology Labor Market Rebounding |
| Summary: | The technology sector is widely regarded as one of the most dynamic sectors of the U.S. economy and an important source of innovation, employment, and profits (see Kask and Sieber, 2002; Jorgensen, 2001). Productivity increases in IT-producing firms during the early 1990s swiftly lowered the prices of IT products and processes, helping speed the adoption of information technology by U.S. businesses. The spread of IT generated significant economy-wide benefits such that information technology is commonly considered to have formed “the foundation of the American growth resurgence” during the 1990s (Jorgensen, 2001: 2). In response to the growing demand for IT products and processes, employment in the IT industry, especially in the computer and data processing subsector, increased rapidly. Between 1989 and 1999, the computer and data processing industry was the nation’s second fastest growing as it added more than 1 million jobs over the period, an increase of 149 percent (Hatch and Clinton, 2000). |
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| Report: | New National Poll Shows: Tech Workforce Under Siege |
| Summary: | A recently completed national technology worker survey shows increasing worker pessimism about the future of the technology work force and technology economy in the United States. The survey measures the opinions of U.S. technology workers on a variety of issues, including their outlook on the economy, perceptions about worker demand in their own industry, and demographic information. The 2005 survey results can be compared with results collected in a 2003 survey. The 2005 survey "tracks" some questions from 2003, but also delves into new issues of interest. |
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| Report: | The Real Pirates of the Caribbean: |
| Summary: | Today, workers in the U.S. high technology industry are experiencing the failures of U.S. trade policy first-hand. In spite of this experience, the U.S. high tech industry, with Microsoft playing a prominent role, is lobbying Members of Congress to vote for the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), claiming the agreement will boost U.S. high tech exports and thus U.S. jobs. This report demonstrates that CAFTA will not lead to a significant boost in U.S. high tech exports, and instead could, through the expansion of highly controversial copyright rules, undermine innovation and freedom of expression. |
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| Report: | America's High Tech Bust |
| Summary: | A new report by the Center for Urban Economic Development shows that U.S. high-technology workers are still facing chronic unemployment and a serious jobs deficit despite an economic recovery being declared three years ago. The report found that the U.S. high-tech economy continued to lose a whopping 200,000 jobs after the recession was declared over in November 2001 by the National Bureau of Economic Research. |
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| Report: | Your Tax Dollars At Work... Offshore |
| Summary: | This report is the first systematic national analysis of offshore outsourcing of state government work, focusing on information technology and food-stamp call centers. While "offshoring" by the private sector - especially high-tech companies - has received extensive media attention, a growing number of offshore contractors are also gearing up to capture contract work from state governments.. |
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| Report: | Tech Workers Galvanize Around Offshore Outsourcing |
| Summary: | The purpose of the survey was to quantitatively measure the opinions of U.S. technology workers on a variety of issues, including free trade, future information technology (IT) job demand, legislative action, party affiliation and voting behavior. The results challenge conventional wisdom about "independent" IT workers who cannot be galvanized around any one set of issues to seek political change. In fact, IT workers appear to be an emerging political constituency that is increasingly looking for political action to address its economic concerns. |
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| Report: | Uncertain Futures: The Real Impact of the High-Tech Boom and Bust on Seattle's IT Workers |
| Summary: | This groundbreaking report indicates dramatic social changes have occurred in Seattle as a result of the downturn in the local IT industry. The report - Uncertain Futures: The Real Impact of the High-Tech Boom and Bust on Seattle's IT Workers - raises important questions about the long-term health of Seattle's economy and educational system as median incomes and education rates have declined among non-union IT workers in the last six years. |
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| Report: | The State of the IT Industry in Puget Sound |
| Summary: | The Evans/McDonough Company and the Worker Center, AFL-CIO, on behalf of WashTech, conducted two separate surveys of Seattle-area Information-Technology workers and employers. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the current state of IT worker training from the perspectives of both groups, and probe into some of the issues workers and employers face in the industry. Specific interest was paid to future industry demand, requirements and expectations for training, and the experiences of both groups in the industry. |
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| Report: | High-Tech Employee Rights Guide |
| Summary: | If you work in Washington's high-tech industry, you need to check out this guide. It contains important information regarding employment trends, answers your questions about your rights, unemployment insurance, and where to get the latest in training. You will be asked to register to access the full Employment Guide. |
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| Report: | Disparities Within The Digital World |
| Summary: | A report on wages and working conditions in the Seattle-area IT sector. How much should you be making? In an effort to help you answer that question, we have created a comparison of salary information from four recent wage information sources: Milliman and Robertson, Salary.com, WashTech, WSA, and the Washington State Employment Security Department. |
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| Report: | 2000 Salary Survey |
| Summary: | WashTech members know that many high-tech workers often wonder "How much do other people make that do my job?" Many employers have unwritten corporate policies that forbid you to talk with your co-workers about compensation. These policies are in violation of federal labor law; most high-tech workers don't know that they have the right to freely discuss pay with co-workers. |
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