CompTIA: Tech Employment off to a Strong Start

Technology companies and employers throughout the economy added tech workers in January, while also increasing job listings for future hiring, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics by CompTIA, a suburban Chicago-based industry association.

The research reveals that employment by tech sector companies increased by a net 6,787 positions in January. Robust hiring of personnel in IT services and software development occupations (+13,700) offset reductions in telecommunication jobs (-7,900). Across all sectors of the economy tech occupations grew by estimated 228,000 for the month. The tech unemployment rate increased to 2.9%, compared to the national rate of 4% for January.

“Tech hiring activity was solid across the key categories,” said Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA. “Employers continue to balance the need for foundational tech talent and skills with the push into next gen fields.”

New employer job listings for tech positions increased by 51,756 in January, to more than 220,000. The total of active job postings for the month was more than 476,000.

CompTIA’s analysis shows 49 states plus the District of Columbia saw increases in tech job postings last month. California (+9,834), Texas (+4,256), Illinois (+3,476), Virginia (+2,101), New York (+2,083) and Florida (+2,059) recorded the largest month over month increases. Metropolitan areas that experienced big jumps in tech job postings included San Jose, San Francisco, New York City, Chicago and Dallas.

Employer hiring spanned every sector of the economy, with a broad mix of company types pursuing tech talent. On a month-over-month percent change basis the positions with some of the highest gains in job posting volumes include UI/UX designers (+54%), data scientists (+52%), data analysts (+47%), tech support specialists (+38%) and systems analysts (+38%).

Channel Impact^®
Conclusions based on open reqs and related advertising look encouraging.