EMC Isilon Storage Division president Sujal Patel (from left), EMC chairman and chief executive Joe Tucci and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn at recent event where Isilon announced ambitious growth plans for Seattle. (PSBJ photo / Anthony Bolante)

The tech industry has become the new stable source of jobs, luring workers from other sectors who would have shied away from tech following the volatility of 1990s-era startups.

Tech giants including Amazon.com, Apple and Google increased their work forces by at least 50 percent over the past two years, according to Bloomberg News.

The competition for qualified workers has promoted these companies to look to people with non-technical backgrounds, and has drawn many from other sectors to pursue tech careers.

Tech workers have been in big demand in the greater Seattle area with Microsoft, Amazon and with heavyweights like Google venturing north to hire here. One downside: it has been tough for smaller companies to fill positions.

Other companies like F5 Networks and Isilon also have been hiring rapidly.

he average tech salary in the greater Seattle area is now $90,362 a year, up 5 percent from a year ago. One in three Seattle-based tech professionals said they had received a bonus. The average for 2011 was $9,892, according to a survey conducted for the tech career site Dice.