Dive Brief:
- IT positions across the economy fell by about 29,000 in March amid rising business uncertainty, according to a CompTIA analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data published Friday. Despite the pullback, nearly half a million tech job postings remained open, CompTIA said.
- IT unemployment also dipped last month to 3.1%, down from 3.3% in February. By contrast, national unemployment rose slightly to 4.2% last month, the analysis found.
- “With many employers in wait-and-see mode, the jobs data is about in line with expectations for the month," said Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA, in a press release.
Dive Insight:
IT leaders are grappling with a marked mismatch between the availability of in-demand skills in the tech market and the projects their organizations expect to be delivered.
AI and cybersecurity top the list of in-demand roles, but access to those skills has proven increasingly difficult for organizations. More than 3 in 5 executives said the tech talent crunch has worsened in the last year, according to Robert Half data.
IT unemployment ticked down slightly in March
In addition to talent availability concerns, ongoing global trade disputes are adding economic worries to the mix.
After Tuesday's tariffs and policy announcements from the Trump administration, "these days of relative calm seem numbered," said Cory Stahle, an economist at Indeed's Hiring Lab.
"The residual confidence and optimism that helped buoy the labor market through the first quarter reversed virtually overnight after this week’s announcements," Stahle said in an email to CIO Dive. "There is likely no going back."
Economic pressures could force the spotlight onto enterprise technology projects and investments that drive value, especially for pricey endeavors like AI implementations. Last year, less than half of IT decision-makers said their AI projects were profitable, according to an IBM-commissioned report.
