At a recent state-of-technology luncheon, the Technology Alliance issued an overview of its new study that shows Washington’s technology sector is larger and more diverse than ever.

In 2007, the report noted, technology-based industries directly employed 343,371 people, representing 11.8 percent of total jobs in Washington and the fourth highest concentration of technology-based employment in the nation on a per capita basis.

Through multiplier effects, technology-based industries supported more than 1.16 million jobs, or 40 percent of total covered employment in the state.

Altogether, Washington’s technology-based industries generated $112.6 billion in sales, $29.5 billion in labor income, and an estimated $1.06 billion in state business and occupation tax revenues last year. The cumulative impact of technology-based industry activity amounted to $205.3 billion in sales, $71.4 billion in labor income, and $5.7 billion in tax revenues across the Washington state economy.

Technology-based industries pay an average of $117,691 in salary and benefits per worker, which is 117 percent above the state average. Technology-based industries also outperform the rest of the economy in exports: Washington’s technology sector exported 80 percent of goods and services out-of-state in 2007, compared to an economy-wide average of 40 percent.

Washington is a leader in employment in industries classified as technology-intensive, meaning 30 percent or more of their workforce is engaged in R&D occupations. In this measure, Washington is second only to Virginia and one of only a handful of states boasting a very high concentration of heavily R&D-oriented sectors.

The vast majority, 87 percent of technology-based establishments in Washington, employ fewer than 20 people. Aerospace continues to represent the largest sector, with 78,600 peoople.