The Info on Information Jobs

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, when we “watch television, listen to the radio, read a book or a magazine, surf the Internet, make a phone call or send a text, or see a movie at the theater,” we’re being served by the information industry. The sector has 2.8 million employees, and pays a full-time salary of $77,626.

Unfortunately, jobs in information were badly battered by the Great Recession. Since the end of the downturn, employment has grown in just 14 states.

There’s bad, and then there’s abysmal. New Mexico ranked 43rd in “growth,” dropping by 19.2 percent. The Land of Enchantment roughly matched Oklahoma’s loss of 20.2 percent. Texas and Colorado posted slight declines, but two neighbors — Utah and Arizona — enjoyed significant growth. (See chart above.)

New Mexico’s performance is pretty surprising, given the political-media establishment’s relentless claims that the film-and-television industry here is “booming” and that the tech sector is about to take off.

Billions of dollars in federal “investment” and a hugely expensive incentive program for Hollywood? Not getting the job done, evidently. Maybe school choice, a right-to-work law, tax reform/relief, and deregulation are worth trying?