Tech industry employment experienced a net increase of 12,922 new positions, the largest monthly gain since April 2023, CompTIA’s analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Jobs Report data reveals. 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, according to CompTIA.’s report. The unemployment rate for tech occupations increased to 2.3%. In comparison the national unemployment rate stands at 3.7%.

Tech Employment Remains Optimistic 

“Tech employment remains on solid footing,” says 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, according to the CompTIA report. 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. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh and Providence recorded modest month over month gains in postings.

The CompTIA Tech Jobs Report is available at comptia.org/content/tech-jobs-report.

Another version of this article originally appeared on our sister-site Commercial Integrator on January 5, 2024. It has since been updated for My TechDecisions’ audience.

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Tech companies added 14,400 workers last month and tech sector employment has increased by 207,200 this year, according to CompTIA’s analysis.

“The hotter-than-anticipated tech jobs report confirms there are still many more employers hiring tech talent than shedding it,” says Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA. “It’s certainly premature to dismiss concerns over the health of the economy, but this should be a reassuring sign for the tech workforce.”

Monthly occupational data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals tech occupations in all industry sectors grew by 137,000 positions, pushing the unemployment rate for tech workers down to 2%, from 2.2% in October.

November hiring by technology companies was broad-based across occupation categories, led by IT services and custom software development (+8,100). Employment growth also occurred in data processing, hosting and related services (+4,100), other information services, including search engines (+2,100) and computer and electronic products manufacturing (+1,900).

Employer job postings for future tech hiring fell back in November, but still totaled nearly 270,000. Openings for software developers and engineers accounted for about 28% of all tech jobs postings. Demand for IT support specialists, systems engineers, IT project managers and network engineers was also solid.

While major tech hubs recorded the largest numbers of job postings for tech positions, ‘under the radar’ markets showed notable increases in employment opportunities, including Topeka (KS), Virginia Beach (VA), Worcester (MA) and Riverside (CA). Among industries, the professional, scientific and technical services sector had the most tech job postings (41,188), followed by finance and insurance (35,132) and manufacturing (31,036).

CompTIA’s analysis also reveals that 30% of all tech jobs postings are for positions in emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, or in roles that require emerging tech skills.

CompTIA’s complete Tech Jobs Report can be found here.

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The Ticket to Tech training initiative links ConnectWise partners with a talented new crop of job-ready tech learners seeking employment. The program was revealed at IT Nation Connect 2022, a thought-leadership conference for technology solution providers presented by ConnectWise.

The first pilot cohort of 35 job seekers begins this month with training in the technical skills needed for success in entry-level tech support jobs, coupled with durable skills training in critical thinking, problem solving, communications and related areas. Nine additional cohorts are planned for early 2023.

“Tech support professionals have greater responsibilities, and greater skills requirements, than ever,” said Amy Kardel, vice president, strategic workforce relationships, CompTIA, in a statement. “They are actively engaged in cloud computing, cybersecurity, data, networking and other disciplines, making tech support the ideal learning ground for career advancement.”

Ticket to Tech students will prepare for the CompTIA A+ certification exam, the industry standard for launching an IT career, and train on the ConnectWise Manage platform. Career readiness skills, including LinkedIn and social media lessons, mock interviews and resume assistance, are all included in the 17-week program.

Graduates will have two pathways to employment:

• Traditional full-time hire to fill open desktop support positions
• Apprenticeship, where they will be full-time employees who receive additional training, structured, on-the-job learning, mentorship and will earn a nationally recognized credential from the U.S. Department of Labor

“The industry is in need of skilled IT professionals. Providing a solid path to employment instills confidence while serving as a boon to the hiring market,” said Jen Locklear, chief people officer at ConnectWise, in a statement. “This pre-apprenticeship program is just the beginning; we’re excited to watch it grow as the momentum builds. With a culture of positivity and learning embedded in the program, these talented and eager individuals will be assets to the entire industry.”

IT Nation Evolve partners have the exclusive opportunity to join the employer contact list for graduates, working with the career services that will help students find employment, interview candidates and make hiring decisions.

To learn more about the Ticket to Tech, visit comptia.org/T2T.

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Technology industry companies added 11,000 workers in December, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which shows the 13th consecutive month of tech employment growth at the industry level.

Tech employment at the occupation level throughout the economy increased by 180,000 positions as the unemployment rate for IT jobs dropped to 2%.

The nation’s employers also stepped up its search for additional tech workers in December, with an estimated 332,564 job postings for open positions, 22,500 more than in November and the highest monthly total since March 2020.

“This undoubtedly sounds like a broken record, but there is no escaping the influence the pandemic continues to exert over hiring decisions and business investments,” said Tim Herbert, executive vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA. “Adaptation remains a driving force for organizations expanding their tech workforces in areas such as cloud infrastructure, remote support, data science and cybersecurity.”

Related: Hiring is Rebounding In The Wake Of The Pandemic

The search for additional tech workers is widespread by both geography and industry, CompTIA’s analysis of December job posting data from EMSI-Burning Glass Technologies Labor Insights reveals.

Eight metropolitan areas saw the number of tech job postings increase by more than 1,000 in December over November, from Dallas (15,959 total job postings) and Houston (6,331) in the Southwest, to Los Angeles (14,229) and Seattle (8,091) on the West Coast, to Atlanta (11,808) and Tampa (4,925) in the Southeast.

Among industries, professional scientific and technical services (53,603), finance and insurance (35,039), manufacturing (26,629) and information (17,755) listed the largest numbers of open positions last month.

Within the tech sector, December’s new hiring was led by growth in the IT services and custom software development occupation category (+10,200). Modest job gains were recorded in the categories of other information services, including search engines (+1,900) and data processing, hosting and related services (+1,600). Employment in the telecommunications and computer and electronic products manufacturing categories declined.

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