N.Y. site open for high-tech business

New York will advertise more than 40,000 high-tech jobs on a new Web site to give businesses in the state a leg up in the fierce nationwide competition for high-tech workers.

The one-stop shop, hightechNY.com, combines job data from the state's Department of Labor and new openings entered by hundreds of private-sector employers. Job seekers can search by job category and geographic area. The site includes direct links to company Web sites and industry associations.

"We think we've got by far the most aggressive job promotion campaign out there," said Eric Mangan, a spokesman for Empire State Development, the state's economic development authority. "We think [the site] is by far the most comprehensive job database." More than 20,000 jobs are listed on the site right now, he added.

The Web site, which is free for employers, is part of an effort to attract businesses and venture capital to New York, state officials say. New York ranks second in the country in the number of high-tech establishments (13,400), third in high-tech employment (329,000 jobs) and third in average salary for high-tech workers ($62,000), according to 1998 data compiled by AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association).

Last week, the Department of Labor conducted the first-ever statewide high-tech interactive job fair in 11 locations throughout the state. The event enabled the 250 participating businesses to post job listings at one location and have it seen by job seekers in other cities.