Washington state’s information sector has finally recovered from the collapse of the high-tech bubble in 2001. That, at least, is what the last quarter’s employment numbers suggest. The state’s information sector, which includes software publishing, employed an average of 102,560 people in the first quarter of 2007, for the first time surpassing the first quarter of 2001 when employment peaked with an average 101,466 people working in the sector. The information sector has added 11,300 jobs since it hit bottom in April of 2003 following the downturn.

Strong employment by Microsoft has been a major factor in the sector’s strength. The software giant now employs 35,000 people in Washington, up nearly 50 percent since 2003. The company recently leased space in Bellevue that will give it space to house an additional 4,000 or so employees.

Aerospace employment also continued to grow sharply, climbing to 77,500 in March, up 8.7 percent from the year before, as Boeing continues to prepare for the launch of its 787 “Dreamliner.” Also notable in the March numbers is continued strength in residential construction, which employed 195,100 people, up a strong 5.6 percent from the year before. Expect that strength to continue, as 4,393 residential building permits were granted in March, up nearly 10 percent from the year before.