Information industry jobs have been in decline until recent years. Forbes contributor Joel Kotkin says there has been a resurgence over the last two years mainly due to social media and the use of data in business. The information sector is seeing increased hiring in software publishing, data processing and other services.
Kotkin wrote of the “big cities winning the battle for information jobs” and New Orleans made the list. Out of 317 cities, New Orleans ranks third behind San Francisco and San Jose for information job growth, according to Forbes last week.
He calls the city, “perhaps the most dramatic player,” with information employment at 8,200 and 2012 growth at 9.3%. Growth from 2009 to 2012 is at 28%.
“The recent decision by General Electric to place its new technology center and its 300 new technology jobs in New Orleans is another sign of the Crescent City’s emergence as a viable information hub,” said Kotkin.