Downers Grove, IL (March 8, 2024) – Technology industry employment recorded modest growth in February and employer job postings for open tech positions were essentially unchanged, according to analysis by CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce.
Technology companies added an estimated 2,340 workers last month, CompTIA’s analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) #JobsReport data reveals.1 The technology services and software development sub-sector saw employment increase by 4,200 positions, but those gains were offset by staffing reductions in telecommunications and manufacturing. Net tech employment spanning tech industry and tech occupation employment totals more than 9.6 million workers.2
Technology occupations across the economy declined by an estimated 133,000 positions.3 The unemployment rate for tech occupations increased to 3.5%. The national unemployment rate also increased in February, to 3.9%.
“We continue to see the lag effect of market developments working their way into government employment data,” said Tim Herbert, chief research officer, CompTIA. “While employers across every sector of the economy demand tech talent spanning the continuum of tech job roles, there are pockets of employers recalibrating their staffing levels.”
Employers added 185,000 new job postings for tech positions in February, raising the total number of active tech job postings to more than 436,000.[4] California, Texas and Virginia had the largest volumes of job postings among the states. At the metro level, Washington, New York, Dallas, Chicago and Boston were the most active markets.
Other job posting metrics showed little movement. Open positions in artificial intelligence or jobs requiring AI skills continue to hover near the 10% threshold, while positions offering hybrid, remote or work-from-home options account for about 20% of all tech job postings.
The “CompTIA Tech Jobs Report” is available here.
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About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the world’s leading information technology (IT) certification and training body. CompTIA is a mission-driven organization committed to unlocking the potential of every student, career changer or professional seeking to begin or advance in a technology career. Millions of current and aspiring technology workers around the world rely on CompTIA for the training, education and professional certifications that give them the confidence and skills to work in tech.
1 Labor market data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and employer job posting data from Lightcast may be subject to backward revisions.
2 CompTIA State of the Tech Workforce
3 Monthly occupation level data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tends to experience higher levels of variance and volatility.
4 Active job postings include open postings carried over from previous months and new postings added by employers.
