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WASHINGTON – When it rains, it pours … tech jobs.

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.