Dive Brief:
- U.S. technology jobs slid by 131,000 in May, according to a CompTIA review of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data published Friday. Net IT jobs remain positive for the year despite the pullback, the IT trade group said.
- IT unemployment declined to 3.4%, slightly down from April’s 3.5%. National unemployment held steady at 4.2%.
- “It is undoubtedly a challenging time for employers and job seekers facing uncertainty on multiple fronts,” said Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA, in a release.
Dive Insight:
CIOs trying to steer talent strategies are navigating uncharted waters. Stewing economic concerns are throwing IT budgets into flux at a time when AI is leading most businesses to reshape roles and organizational structures.
Tech unemployment dipped slightly in May
National unemployment rates compared to those in IT occupations
The contrast between open jobs and total IT employment reported this month reflects the overall state of tech talent. While the economy lost scores of IT jobs, nearly half a million IT job postings remain open, including 208,791 postings added last month. Demand remained strong for software developers, systems engineers and cybersecurity professionals, according to CompTIA.
“Despite economic uncertainty and a slowdown demonstrated in the May jobs report, companies still have a notable need for tech talent,” said Ken Englund, EY Americas technology sector growth leader, in a Friday email. “We see layoffs slowing in tech, which reinforces the move to skill rebalancing.”
Another sign of change is the persistent rise in AI skills demand. Employer job postings related to AI year-to-date grew 117% year over year, according to CompTIA‘s report.
“We’re seeing the need for AI skills continue to accelerate, and this is a trendline that will likely continue as AI adoption and deployment increase,” Englund said.
Nearly 2 in 3 executives say a lack of in-house AI talent is hampering their ability to roll out generative AI tools, according to an Accenture report.
