The state’s high-tech industry is lagging in comparison to its peers, according to the American Electronics Association. Louisiana ranked No. 31 for the number of high-tech jobs and No. 43 for wages in the industry. The Cyberstates 2008 report revealed about 42,000 people work in high-tech jobs and receive an average wage of $55,421. Louisiana’s neighbors far surpass the state in high-tech industry rankings. Texas’ industry included nearly 460,000 jobs, with an average wage of $81,550. In Florida, there are more than 282,000 high-tech employees receiving an average wage of $64,413. About one-third of Louisiana’s high-tech jobs are in engineering services, with telecommunications services and computer systems design trailing closely behind. Erik Schnetter, LSU Center for Computation and Technology astrophysics researcher, said the high-tech industry’s low wages in the state may be explained by the high number of people working for universities. He said researchers have more freedom at universities, but are often paid less than in the private sector. The report suggests low federal funding for research and development may be stunting the national industry’s growth. CCT is funded by state grants and receives $9 million each year, Schnetter said. Kristen Sunde, CCT public relations manager, said while the center is funded through the state, many of its researchers work on grant research and projects funded by federal agencies. Sunde said federal agencies award grants to researchers using high-format computing. Schnetter said he does not know of any other state that invests more money in computational infrastructure. Sunde said other states are looking to Louisiana as a model for how research with computers should be set up. “I’ve certainly been aware for a while that Louisiana needs to boost its high-tech opportunities,” Sunde said. Sunde said the high-tech industry has progressed during the past few years. AEA found Louisiana gained 1,500 high-tech jobs from 2006 to 2007. Sunde said the Louisiana Optical Network Initiative has potential to bring business to the state. LONI is a network that links LSU’s researchers with seven other state institutions. It also connects state institutions to the National LambdaRail, a nationwide network of research institutions. Sunde said businesses want to form partnerships with researchers who can use access to such a database to address problems related to their industries. “You are going to start to see the high-tech industry grow,” Sunde said. But Louisiana still may not catch up with neighboring states. Carl Scogland, software engineering junior, said he will likely take a job outside Louisiana when he graduates. Scogland said average state wages do not compare. But Scogland said he eventually wants to return to start his own computer business. He said he wants to contribute to the growth of the state’s high-tech industry. “I grew up here. I’ve lived here all my life, and I owe it to Louisiana to come back,” Scogland said. Scogland, who was offered an internship with NASA, said companies like NASA and Microsoft offer more appealing wages than local businesses. Scogland said he sees the state’s high-tech industry progressing. He said several employers have visited his business management class to speak about bringing high-tech companies to the state.
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