Strong Tech Hiring Across the U.S. Economy in October

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U.S. information technology (IT) sector employment expanded by an estimated 11,700 jobs in October, the strongest showing since this spring, according to an analysis released today by CompTIA, the leading technology industry association.

Hiring for tech jobs across the entire economy also bounced back last month, as employers added some 107,000 new positions, CompTIA's analysis of the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics "Employment Situation" report reveals.

U.S. companies have advertised for more than 282,000 positions in emerging technologies year-to-date, an increase of 65% over the same period in 2017. Within specific emerging tech categories, jobs in blockchain, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and big data led the way.

"The combination of job gains this past month and the surge in hiring intensity indicate technology-related employment is on very solid footing," said Tim Herbert, senior vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA.

"The data confirms software, data and emerging tech skills continue to be hot commodities in the job market; which often overshadows the fact that employers are also in hiring mode for many core positions, such as networking, IT support, and cybersecurity," said Herbert.

A separate CompTIA analysis of employer job posting data finds that companies advertised for more than 282,000 positions in emerging technologies year-to-date, an increase of 65% over the same period in 2017. In comparison, overall IT job postings recorded a 30% increase year-over-year.

Within specific emerging tech job categories, postings for blockchain positions are up 370% year-over-year; artificial intelligence, up 149%; machine learning, up 99%; and big data, up 41%.

October Hiring: A Closer Look

October was the second strongest month in 2018 for tech sector hiring, surpassed only by May when some 11,900 new positions were added.

Last month's employment growth was paced by gains in IT services, custom software development and computer system design (+ 5,700 jobs). Gains were also recorded in the categories of information services, including search portals (+ 2,600); computer and electronic products manufacturing (+ 2,200); and data processing, hosting and related services (+ 1,100). Employment in the telecommunications category was essentially flat (+ 100).

New job postings in October were led by employer demand for software and application developers (83,300 postings). That figure surpassed the combined total for the next four categories: computer user support specialists (26,000), computer systems engineers and architects (19,500), computer systems analysts (18,600), and web developers (17,500).

About CompTIA

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $1.5 trillion U.S. information technology ecosystem; and the 11.5 million technology and business professionals who design, implement, manage, market, and safeguard the technology that powers the U.S. economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for advancing the tech industry and its workforce.