South Florida’s burgeoning tech-startup scene has helped catapult the region into one of the nation’s fastest growing high-tech hubs, luring not just innovative entrepreneurs, but all manner of high-tech workers hoping to capitalize on the next big idea as well. The high-tech workers heading to South Florida will be happy to know that this growth is happening not just in their industry, but also in their paychecks.
A report recently released by Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle – a financial and professional services firm specializing in commercial real estate – reveals that wages for high-tech workers in South Florida rose by 6.4 percent in 2013, making South Florida one of the top ten domestic markets for high-tech wage growth, alongside tech giants like San Francisco, Seattle and Silicon Valley. According to the same report, South Florida also saw the number of high-tech jobs rise by 3.4 percent in 2013.
Breaking into the top ten for high-tech wage growth is a huge accomplishment and testament to the ongoing efforts to grow the region’s high-tech industry. South Florida’s proximity and long-standing ties to Latin America help position its blossoming tech industry to capitalize on the skyrocketing number of Internet and smartphone users in the region. Further evidence of the South Florida tech-boom includes the flurry of incubators and shared workspaces that have been established, such as LAB Miami and Venture Hive. Moreover, just this past May, Miami hosted the first annual eMerge Americas Techweek Conference, which brought together this country’s top entrepreneurs and tech power-players to discuss Miami’s developing tech industry. The first eMerge Conference was a resounding success, with the second conference scheduled for May 2015. And, Florida Polytechnic University, established by the Florida State Legislature in 2012, opened its doors to its first class just last week in Lakeland, Florida – further signaling the State’s commitment to the growth of its high-tech sector.
While just a few examples of the efforts made by public and private players, such developments are emblematic of the tech whirlwind in which South Florida finds itself, and one can only expect this now top-ten industry to continue to flourish.
