NEW ORLEANS – Louisiana ranks fifth in the nation for growth in software employment from 2014 – 2016, increasing nearly 22 percent, according to a new report by Software.org.
Louisiana's rapidly growing software industry employed 11,694 people in 2016 and had a $1.5 billion impact on the state's economy, according to the study, which describes the industry as "a powerful spark" nationally.
Louisiana's software industry further generated 20,533 indirect jobs in 2016, and software companies invested $22 million in research and development, 6.2 percent of Louisiana's total R&D spending.
Louisiana’s software industry is supported by one of the most aggressive digital media incentives in North America, which can provide a 25 percent refundable tax credit on qualified payroll for in-state labor, and 18 percent for qualified production expenditures, Michael Hecht, president and CEO of GNO, Inc. said.
For more information about Louisiana's digital interactive media and software development tax credit
According to www.Software.org, the top 10 states for software employment growth are:
• Kansas
• Indiana
• Mississippi
• Idaho
• Louisiana
• California
• Arizona
• District of Columbia
• New York
• North Carolina
