CompTIA report shows strong growth for IT employment

Job openings in emerging technologies or positions requiring emerging tech skills increased significantly in the last month. 

A CompTIA analysis, the non-profit association for the IT industry and workforce, showed positive momentum for IT employment in the U.S. in February, with key indicators pointing to strong current and future employer demand for tech talent.

According to the “Employment Situation” report released by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that tech companies added 7,700 workers in February alone.

Within the tech sector, four of five employment categories recorded job gains in February, led by IT services and custom software development (+6,200). Data processing, hosting, and related services (+1,800), computer and electronic products manufacturing (+1,700), and other information services, including search engines (+1,400), also were in positive territory.

Telecommunications employment declined by 3,400 positions, dampening an otherwise solid month of job growth in the tech sector.

IT employment jobs increased by nearly 24 percent in February, surpassing 81,000 and accounting for 29 percent of all open posts advertised by employers. Positions in artificial intelligence (12,237) accounted for nearly 15% of the total. The top five metro areas for AI job postings were Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle.

“Even though tech employment held up reasonably well during the turbulence of the past 12 months, many employers were in a wait-and-see hiring mode,” said Tim Herbert, executive vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA. “With the three recent months of tech employment gains, we’re likely seeing that pent-up demand translates to new hires.”