INDUSTRY REPORT: Internet Publishing, Broadcasting, and Search Engines

This is part of a series reviewing industries that have experienced greater than 40% employment growth since 2007. Click here to see the summary. Data and analysis comes from Analyst and EMSI’s fourth quarter 2011 data release. Contact Rob Sentz ([email protected]) with questions. You can also follow EMSI @DesktopEcon.

While much of the economy has been suffering, internet publishing has been cruising along quite well. The specific industry in question is defined by the NAICS code system (519130):

This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in 1) publishing and/or broadcasting content on the Internet exclusively or 2) operating Web sites that use a search engine to generate and maintain extensive databases of Internet addresses and content in an easily searchable format (and known as Web search portals). The publishing and broadcasting establishments in this industry do not provide traditional (non-Internet) versions of the content that they publish or broadcast. They provide textual, audio, and/or video content of general or specific interest on the Internet exclusively. Establishments known as Web search portals often provide additional Internet services, such as e-mail, connections to other web sites, auctions, news, and other limited content, and serve as a home base for Internet users.

Here is a visual overview of the industry:

From 2007-2011, internet publishers added 30,000 jobs, which is 40% growth. There are currently nearly 9,000 establishments, or places of work, in the U.S. About 70% of the industry is between the ages of 25 and 44. Also, most of the employees are male.

States like California and New York have higher concentrations of these workers. See the table for the complete breakdown.

• Clearly, California has the highest level of employment, highest wages, and the largest concentration for these jobs. In five years the state added over 10,000 new jobs, which is 45% growth.
• New York added over 5,000 jobs in that same time period, which was 90% growth for the industry in the state.
• Washington and Massachusetts, also with higher levels of employment, grew by 57% and 71%, respectively.
• Many other states are also experiencing good growth, but the current employment levels are currently much smaller. Forty out of 50 states (and D.C.) experienced growth from ’07-11.

Next, we take a look at some of the top occupations employed by internet publishers:

• Computer software engineers, systems software and computer software engineers, applications are the most common occupations. Software engineers comprise 10.5% of the internet publishing industry. Both of these jobs pay well and require bachelor’s degrees.
• Sales and customer service representatives comprise another 9% of the total industry. These jobs typically require on-the-job training and prior experience.
• Seven of the 11 jobs on this list require a bachelor’s degree.
• Five of the 11 are related to computer and science.

CONCLUSION

Everyone knows brands like Google, YouTube, Microsoft and the rest. Their growth has been rapid and demand for workers is very good. There also appears to be good growth in the industry sector apart from the big names. Currently employment still appears to be concentrated in a handful of states, but there is a lot of promise nationwide.

Feel free to comment below or email Rob Sentz ([email protected]) with any questions. You can follow EMSI on Twitter @DesktopEcon.

Read more at Economic Modeling Specialists (EMSI blog)