Some 51 of 60 “cybercities” added high-tech jobs in 2006, according to the latest AeA survey of the US tech world.
Seattle led the nation, adding 7,800 net jobs. The next largest net gains between 2005 and 2006 occurred in metro New York (6,400) and Washington (6,100).
On a percentage basis, Riverside-San Bernardino, CA, saw the fastest job growth in 2006, at 12%. (2006 data are the most recent available at the metropolitan level.)
Christopher Hansen, president and CEO of AeA, said, "High-tech jobs make critical contributions to local economies in terms of innovation. They also pay extremely well – the average tech industry wage is 87% higher than the average private sector wage. Fifty-six cybercities had wage differentials higher than 50% and three cybercities – Austin, San Diego and Sacramento – had differentials higher than 100%.”
The leading metro areas by high-tech employment for the year were metro New York (316,500 jobs), Washington (295,800 jobs), San Jose/Silicon Valley (225,300 jobs), Boston (191,700 jobs), and Dallas-Fort Worth (176,000 jobs).
San Jose/Silicon Valley led the nation in concentration of high-tech workers, with 286 high-tech workers per 1,000 private sector workers. Boulder ranked second, with 230 high-tech workers per 1,000 private sector workers. Huntsville, Durham and Washington rounded out the top five.
San Jose/Silicon Valley dominated the manufacturing sectors. It ranked near the top in seven of the nine high-tech manufacturing categories. Metro New York led in many of the tech service sectors, with the highest employment in telecommunications, Internet services, R&D and testing labs, and computer training services. Washington led in computer systems design and related services and engineering services, with nearly three times as many industry workers in these fields as San Jose/Silicon Valley.
This is the AEA’s first national Cybercities report since 2000.
WASHINGTON DC - Charitable organization Goodwill Industries will meet with Congress on June 25, in part to discuss problems related to the disposal of obsolete electronic products it receives as donations.
The organization's complaint is that nonprofit organizations collecting electronic goods are acting for the benefit of the community, and should not have to bear the financial burden of disposal.
According to a release, Goodwill states that it receives more than 27 million pounds of electronics in donations a year, and that up to 30% of this ends up as e-waste. While the agency attempts to refurbish, de-manufacture or resell donated computers and their components, it must dispose of unwanted electronics in landfills or pay to recycle them. The organization states that the cost of recycling or disposing of these products directly impacts their services in many communities.
The organization also states that it is also exploring solutions to the problem through pilot programs with Dell, local governments and other organizations, and has become the first charitable organization to join the Congressional E-waste Working Group, as well as House Energy and Environment Committee to attempt to develop federal electronics product stewardship legislation.
HSINCHU, TAIWAN -- Powertech Technology Inc. has licensed IBM's MPS-C2 (Metal Post Solder-Chip Connection) technology, the company said today. No financial terms were disclosed.
MPS-C2 is a ultra fine pitch flip-chip package technology for chips with bond pad pitches of less than 80 microns. It is useful in such applications as cell phones and other mobile applications where conventional wire-bond PoP, PiP or SiP packages might not work.
MPS-C2 is used to make bumps on pads with copper posts and SnAg solder. The bumps are formed on aluminum pads through a wafer plating process without redistribution. The bumps can then be connected to an organic substrate’s copper pads using conventional SMT reflow.
PTI is now the leading memory ODM package and testing house in the world.
CANADA – According to a industry reports, a recent survey taken by the organization C-Suite shows that corporate executives in Canada are beginning to show less enthusiasm for carbon taxes, due to economic concerns that will increase the cost of doing business.
TOYKO – Japanese production of electronics equipment and components slipped in April, falling 4.3% year-over-year, according to preliminary data released by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Consumer and industrial equipment were down 8% and 12%, respectively. Computers were off 8.5%. Telecom was the only major end-product to buck the trend, rising 6.6% year-over-year.
ICs were off 4.1%, while bare boards were down 7.1%.
For the year, equipment and components are down 0.8%.
NEW YORK – Vietnam’s January 2007 entry into the World Trade Organization set in motion what’s become a fast-growing electronics manufacturing locale. The Southeast Asian nation’s low labor cost, availability of trainable local population and favorable government policies are attracting global EMS/ODM companies to set up operations, says research firm Frost & Sullivan.
The government's emphasis on making electronics a key export earner is pushing Vietnam to migrate to the path of high-tech industry. The country is also experiencing rapid increase in semiconductor consumption. Many investors feel that it is easier to do business in Vietnam than in China due to lesser regulatory hassles and government business-friendly policies, Frost says. The response: The electronics and IT industries are turning in average growth rates of 25 to 35% a year.
According to Frost, the main products are printers, computer and mobile phone parts, and PCBs. Vietnam's electronics industry is targeting domestic production of $5 billion to $6 billion by 2010.
As such, Vietnam will soon emerge as a tough competitor to other well-established neighbors in Asia, Frost says. It is to be seen if Vietnam will emerge as a viable alternative.
Frost research analyst Akkaraju Venkata Sridevi says, "The electronics industry in Vietnam is very young and rapidly developing due to high priority in the government's development strategy. Vietnam has also become a heaven for investors from Korea and China. Intel has tripled its investment in Vietnam to $1 billion.”
Vietnam is also an emerging destination for investments, after China and India, she says. "The economic growth rates spell success for the country. Vietnam's economy is the fastest growing economy, second only to China, in the Asian region. Government support to establish industry parks, good physical infrastructure, the availability of English-speaking workforce and low labor costs are all factors that make Vietnam an attractive destination."
The firm will provide a briefing on Vietnam’s EMS/ODM and semiconductor industries, education system and labor force, semiconductor consumption, leading OEMs and macroeconomic indicators. Email Donna Jeremiah at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for info.
