Dive Brief:
- Tech sector employers added 18,000 jobs in January in the second consecutive month of rebound, according to a CompTIA review of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data published Friday.
- Employers across the economy logged 392,000 active job postings for tech occupations, nearly 34,000 above last month's count. The growth spurt marks the biggest month-to-month increase in a year, according to CompTIA’s analysis.
- Despite the increase in postings, tech positions across industries declined again in January, down 117,000 positions since December. The shift reflects the variations in short-term and longer-term staffing needs, according to Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA.
Dive Insight:
Executives and industry watchers expect tech talent gaps to persist in 2024. The mismatch between qualified, available talent and open technology roles across industries is unlikely to close in the near term.
Two factors continue to push up demand: projects deferred from 2023 hitt budget lines this year and rising AI initiatives call for specialized roles.
IT unemployment remained unchanged in January
Despite trickling layoff announcements at large tech providers, from Amazon to Google, unemployment among IT occupations remained at 2.3% in January, unchanged from last year and far behind the national average. U.S. unemployment also held steady in December at 3.7%.
The three occupation categories projected for faster growth in 2024 are data science and data analytics, cybersecurity and software development, Herbert told CIO Dive in January.
To compete for in-demand talent, executives will need to properly articulate their value as employers, he said.
"CIOs have to recognize that they still have to make sure they are communicating why a candidate wants to work for them," said Herbert. "It's not enough to just post 'we're hiring a cybersecurity architect,' but they have to convey the opportunity. They have to ensure that the worker understands that it will be the type of experience they're looking for."
Three in 5 leaders see the tech talent gap as a top business risk, a Capgemini survey conducted in November found. Most executives, in response, plan to up their spending on talent and skills development.
