Downers Grove, IL (Sept. 1, 2017) — Continued market demand for cloud-based technology services and a strong showing in tech manufacturing combined in August to deliver another solid month of employment growth for the U.S. information technology (IT) sector, according to CompTIA, the world’s leading technology association, said today.
The IT sector added an estimated 10,300 new jobs in August, led by the addition of 8,000 positions in the IT and software services category, according to the “CompTIA IT Employment Tracker.” The monthly report analyzes IT-specific jobs data from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) “Employment Situation” report.
The IT and software services category has expanded by more than 106,000 new jobs in 2017.
“IT services have powered tech sector job growth all year,” noted Tim Herbert, senior vice president, research and market intelligence, CompTIA. “All signs point to this trend continuing through year’s end. The question is whether gains in IT and software services, along with contributions from tech manufacturing and data services, will offset losses in telecom to achieve projected net job growth on the year.”
The computer and electronic products manufacturing category added to August’s positive growth, expanding by 3,900 jobs. Within tech manufacturing, the computers and peripherals category accounted for the majority of the gains. August was the strongest month for manufacturing so far in 2017; and the third consecutive month of job growth.
Other information services, including search portals, added 1,700 positions in August.
On the down side of the employment ledger, telecommunications shed 2,700 jobs, while positions in data processing, hosting and related services declined by 600.
Total employment across the IT sector is estimated at 4,445,300. The unemployment rate for IT occupations stood at 2.4 percent in August.
“The labor market for IT positions remains extremely tight with the IT occupation unemployment rate nearly half that of the national rate,” Herbert noted.
The August jobs data does not take into account the full impact of Hurricane Harvey. The BLS survey of business establishments was largely completed prior to the storm.
IT job postings were flat in August and have essentially been flat since the early part of the year. The largest month-over-month gain was in the category of IT project managers, with 1,300 additional job postings last month.
The full report from CompTIA is available at “CompTIA IT Employment Tracker.” Visit here for more CompTIA research on employment, skills and workforce trends in the technology industry.
