How the US Economy would be strengthened by the Technology Sector in 2023.

The relative contributions that different industries make to national economies vary: some pay their employees more than others. Some companies gradually increase their rates while others don't, or they may even do the opposite. Some businesses export, which boosts their output and causes the economy as a whole to become more competitive and productive. As a result, the average worker can now more easily afford imports. And some people innovate more than others, which spurs economic progress and raises people's standards of living. 1 High wages, little consumer price inflation, robust exports, and outstanding innovation are all characteristics of the American IT sector. This research examines the significant significance and contributions of the IT industry to the US economy using the most recent data from the federal government.

Computing, data storage and processing, IT components, information services, semiconductors, and software are just a few examples of the industries that make up the U.S. IT industry, sometimes known as the "tech sector" by some. In 2020, the industry employed 5.9 million people or 4.4% of all private sector jobs in the United States. These workers made more than twice what the typical American worker made. When the multiplier effect is taken into consideration, the industry supports 19% of all jobs in the United States. 

The IT industry is a significant source of well-paying opportunities for Americans without college degrees. Such employees are paid roughly 50% more in the sector than in non-IT sectors. It's significant since the majority of this industry is international, which means it exports goods and services and competes with manufacturing from other nations. The IT industry represents 28 percent of establishments, 22.4% of jobs, and 30.7% of payroll expenditures among U.S. industries that compete in the global economy. 6 Yet the United States shouldn't take any of this for granted given the fierce rivalry taking place on a worldwide scale for leadership in the IT industry.

Last but not least, the IT industry is significant not only for the jobs and income it directly creates for the economy, but also for the indirect effects it has on businesses and other organizations that use IT to boost quality and productivity, whether they be for-profit firms, nonprofit organizations, or governments. This explains why, during the past ten years, there has been little negative association between an industry's usage of IT and inflation. In other words, sectors of the economy that heavily rely on IT raise prices at a pace that is half that of the general economy, passing the savings through to American consumers.

The most precise indicator of an industry's contribution to the economy is a value-added, which is obtained by deducting the price of acquired inputs (such as raw materials, energy, etc.) from final sales. The domestic value added produced by the IT sector in 2020 was $1.2 trillion, or about 5.5% of the US economy. Between 2010 and 2020, value added in the IT sector increased by $600 billion (109%) with data processing, Internet publishing, and other information services experiencing the highest growth at 215.1%. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States increased overall by 39% over that time. According to the Department of Commerce, the value added by the digital economy to the U.S. GDP in 2020 was 10.2% ($2.14 trillion). The Department estimates that between 2012 and 2020, the real (inflation-adjusted) annual growth rate of value added in the digital economy was 6.3%. The Department's statistics also show that between 2005 and 2020, the actual value added to the digital economy increased by 151.4%.

One of the most strategically significant advanced industries in America is the information technology industry, which significantly boosts the overall U.S. economy in many different ways. Because the costs of IT products and services have been falling dramatically relative to the rest of the economy, the sector also acts as a deflationary force. None of this should be assumed by policymakers.