A new employment report has found that the tech industry enjoyed an increase in jobs last year as other industries were negatively impacted by the weakening economy.

The trade association TechAmerica has found that tech jobs increased by more than 77,000 in 2008. The total amount for the industry topped off at almost six million, which is an increase from the 5.8 million that was reported in 2007.

And that wasn't the only piece of positive employment news from the report.

The software services industry added approximately 86,200 jobs last year, which continues its increase for the fifth year in a row, according to the report. The engineering and tech services industry also added more jobs to the tune of 26,600, which was its reported all-time high.

In terms of salary, the tech industry's average annual pay was 88% more than the average private sector wage at $83,300.

According to a 2006 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a total of 155,000 jobs were projected to be added to the tech industry by 2016. Those interested in a career in computing or IT are advised to possess the latest technological knowledge to be attractive to employers.