Alexandria VA, March 13, 2024 – IT employment inched up 0.04%, adding 2,000 jobs in February, according to TechServe Alliance, the national trade association for the IT & Engineering Staffing and Solutions Industry. While on a year-over-year basis, IT employment was down 1.01% with a loss of 53,900 positions, the three-month moving average turned positive for the first time in almost two years. Employment in Engineering was up 1.84% in a year-over-year comparison, adding 51,100 jobs during the same period.
“After 23 consecutive months of contraction or no growth, IT employment ticked up modestly in February for the second consecutive month. I am also encouraged that the three-month moving average turned positive for the first time since March 2022,” observed Mark Roberts, TechServe’s CEO.
“While there are signs that the economy remains resilient with increasing consumer and business confidence, we’re still seeing mixed signals across geographies, client industries and companies making it challenging to construct a cohesive narrative. While there’s been a slowdown in layoffs which peaked early last year, many companies continue to take a cautious approach to hiring. The countervailing force is the recognition by corporate leaders that continuing to invest in technology and the talent that can build and manage it is a business imperative. This sentiment is continuing to fuel demand in many IT skill sets such as those associated with AI, automation and cybersecurity,” added Roberts.
