The state economic department said that since 1994 information technology companies have had employment growth of 20 percent.

As a result, in order to get a complete picture of employment growth, both measures must be considered.

As a group they have contributed nearly 40,000 jobs to the state's employment growth since early 1992.

And they are the ones expected to generate 77 percent of future employment growth.

Employment growth can be expected to have a substantial effect on the election.

Still, the data appear to have been an early sign of improved employment growth.

But more women have entered the work force, allowing employment growth of up to 5.7 percent a year in the same period.

If these forecasts are right, this is not good news for employment growth.

Thus, women accounted for 65.5 percent of all employment growth among city residents from 1979 to 1987.

Unlike the 1980's, in the last year or so that rate has kept pace with employment growth.