Tech Industry Employment Increased in December

Tech industry employment gains were positive for the month in contrast to several lagging measures, a continuation of the mixed signals era, according to analysis of the December Bureau of Labor Statistics report by CompTIA, a suburban Chicago-based industry association.

Tech industry employment experienced a net increase of 12,922 new positions, the largest monthly gain since April 2023. Jobs were added in four of the five primary sub-sectors, led by technology services and software development (+8,500) and cloud infrastructure and related positions (+4,400). Tech manufacturing led by semiconductors also had a solid month (+1,600).

Technology occupations throughout the economy declined by 79,000 positions last month. The unemployment rate for tech occupations increased to 2.3%. In comparison the national unemployment rate stands at 3.7%.

“Tech employment remains on solid footing,” said Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA. “Despite the ongoing pattern of mixed signals in the labor market tracking data, the optimistic outlook continues to hold.”

Job postings for tech occupations also fell back. Active job postings for tech positions totaled nearly 364,000, including 142,295 newly added by employers in December. Employer hiring for artificial intelligence job roles and specialized skills continues to exceed the 10% threshold as a percentage of all tech job postings.

Industries with the largest volumes of tech job postings included professional, scientific and technical services; administrative and support services; and manufacturing. Among metropolitan markets, Washington, New York, Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles had the most tech job openings, while Pittsburgh and Providence recorded modest month over month gains in postings.

Channel Impact^®
The results demonstrate growth in tech services, software development and cloud infrastructure.