After a year and many thousands of pages of analysis later, with the support of the Washington Department of Commerce, the inaugural Information and Communication Technology Economic and Fiscal Impact Study (aka “ICT Study”) was born. This study has been cited by dozens of reporters locally and nationwide since its release in Feb. 2015.

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When I first started working at WTIA 18 months ago, I read all the available economic reports about our industry to learn the full size, structure, and scope. I even interviewed some of the analysts who produced those reports to get a deeper sense of the data. It didn’t take long to realize that most of the useful data about our industry was hidden inside broader economic reports or else only bits and pieces were published to fit a particular group’s narrow point of view.

An unbiased and comprehensive analysis should teach us some new things – so the WTIA decided to lead the effort to create the analysis.

One year and many thousands of pages of analysis later, with the help of many wonderful volunteers and the support of the Washington Department of Commerce, the inaugural Information and Communication Technology Economic and Fiscal Impact Study (aka “ICT Study”) was born.

The size, structure and scope of the ICT industry is now quite clear

•    There are over 8600 companies – 90 percent have less than 20 employees
•    The total market value of those companies is over $1 Trillion
•    We have a vibrant startup ecosystem with more than $70 million in angel financing and over     $700 million in VC financing in just the last year reported
•    We have 90,000 software development engineers, data scientists, and – aka “coding ninjas” – the most of any tech community in the US
•    Each coding ninja generates 7 additional jobs – the highest multiplier in any sector of the US economy
•    We contribute more than $2B in taxes to the WA state economy, volunteer as mentors in schools, and donate more time and money to charity than any other segment of the working population

With all that great news, there is one critical challenge for our industry. We have a desperate talent shortage – our creativity and ingenuity create coding ninja jobs 10X faster than we can produce them locally. This makes us the top recruiter of coding ninjas in the country. Our schools should be the top producer of that talent.

I invite you to download the ICT Study, download the easy-to-read infographic, check out my recent editorial in Geekwire, read the press coverage on the study (see list below), and read some of the related research coming out about our industry talent shortage that makes a compelling case for why private and public capital should be invested into helping the ICT industry recruit and develop the talent needed.

And I want to hear from you! If you love this report, hate it, don’t believe it, want to ask questions, or if you want to help us take action to build a stronger community…please comment on this post. Ping me on twitter @ceosherpa or email me any time.

Press Coverage:

State tech tally: 8,610 companies, 238,900 workers, $22 billion in wages, by Brier Dudley, Seattle Times, 2/27/15

Washington state’s $600 billion IT industry: Study shows tech jobs drive economic growth by Emily Parkhurst, Puget Sound Business Journal, 3/2/15

Big data gets huge in Washington: Study ranks state 2nd in big data-related jobs by John Cook, GeekWire, 3/2/15

Study: For every tech geek hired in Washington state, 7 jobs are added by John Cook, GeekWire, 3/2/14

Do Tech Positions Really Create 7 More Jobs? By Jake Bullinger, 425 Business, 3/2/15

Tallying the tech industry take by Rachel Lerman, Puget Sound Business Journal, 3/6/15

Tech Association Says Industry Needs More In-state Talent by Brandon Macz, Bellevue Reporter, 3/11/15