While the overall job market surprised everyone with a far-better-than-expected addition of 228,000 jobs in March, IT employment remained essentially flat, down 0.02%, according to TechServe Alliance, the national trade association for the IT & Engineering Staffing and Solutions Industry. On a year-over-year basis, IT employment grew by 0.56%, adding 29,500 jobs. Meanwhile, engineering employment inched up 0.04% month-over-month and was up 0.01% compared to the same period last year.
“While the overall job market posted an unexpectedly strong gain in March, IT employment remained essentially flat—a reflection of ongoing uncertainty and caution among business leaders,” said Mark Roberts, CEO of TechServe Alliance. “While still relatively strong, IT unemployment rate rose to 3.5% in the first quarter. This is consistent with what we’re hearing from our members: with increased levels of uncertainty, client demand is “choppy” and can vary considerably across industries, geographic regions, and individual companies. While some firms are seeing positive momentum, others are facing elongated hiring cycles and less robust demand.”
“We’re closely watching how the reduction in federal jobs and the uncertainty surrounding tariffs may influence the broader economy and IT employment in the months ahead,” Roberts added.
