Downers Grove, IL (Dec. 8, 2017) — New hiring in computer and electronics manufacturing and technology services and custom software development sparked November job growth for the U.S. information technology (IT) sector, according to CompTIA, the leading technology industry association.
IT sector employment grew by an estimated 8,100 jobs last month, CompTIA’s analysis of today’s Bureau of Labor Statistics “Employment Situation” report reveals.
Meanwhile, IT occupations in other industries grew by an estimated 243,000 jobs in November, the largest monthly job gain since 2015.
“Some of the gains are likely due to offsetting the loss of 77,000 jobs from the previous month,” said Tim Herbert, senior vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA. “There is a degree of uncertainty and volatility in the monthly occupation-level data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics; the trend line over time is the more important indicator.
“For the year, IT occupations have grown by 223,000 positions, further confirming the demand by businesses across every sector of the economy to deploy technology wherever possible” he added.
Two employment categories accounted for November’s employment growth within the IT sector.
Computer and electronic products manufacturing posted another strong month, adding an estimated 3,800 jobs, including some 2,200 positions in the sub-category of computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing.
“During the past six months, tech manufacturing has added nearly 16,000 net new jobs,” Herbert said.
IT services and custom software development also added 3,800 jobs last month. The services and software category has been the primary jobs engine for the tech industry in 2017. For the year this category is up an estimated 115,700 jobs.
Two other categories recorded positive employment growth last month. Data processing, hosting and related services employment increased by an estimated 2,000 jobs. Other information services, including search portals, added 1,800 positions.
As has been the case throughout the year, job losses in telecommunications countered employment growth in other categories. In November, telecommunications shed an estimated, 3,300 positions. Telecom has experienced only two positive job gain months this year. In total, 55,100 jobs have been lost as the sector continues to migrate away from legacy products and services.
November job postings for IT positions declined by about 4,000 compared to the previous month. On the year, there have been an estimated 2.1 million job postings from U.S. employers seeking to fill IT positions.
The full jobs report from CompTIA is available at “CompTIA IT Employment Tracker.” Click here for more CompTIA research on employment, skills and workforce trends in the technology industry.
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About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world’s leading technology association, with approximately 2,000 member companies, 3,000 academic and training partners, over 100,000 registered users and more than two million IT certifications issued. CompTIA’s unparalleled range of programs foster workforce skills development and generate critical knowledge and insight—building the foundation for technology’s future.
