RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Perhaps surging interest rates and other economic bad news are weighing down on information technology jobs. A new report sure seems to show that in North Carolina.
The NC Technology Association (NC TECH) has released its monthly snapshot of available IT positions in the state, revealing a “sharp drop” in IT job postings for February 2023.
The snapshot reports just 21,157 IT job postings in North Carolina in February 2023, the lowest in the last 14 months, falling below January 2023’s number. That total stood at 29,552 job posts and was the previous 12-month low.
Monthly snapshot of available IT positions in the state | Source: NC TECH
Brooks Raiford, President of NC TECH, told me that the “sharp drop” in IT job postings last month could reflect the “caution” by employers who are wary of current economic conditions.
“However, we are hearing from many non-tech companies and organizations that they are continuing to hire for tech positions, as evidenced by the report’s list of top ten tech hirers in North Carolina this past month, which is almost entirely made up of non-tech companies,” said Raiford.
Top 10 Hires for Tech Talent in NC for February 2023 | Source: NC TECH
In the press release, Andrea Fleming, Director, Talent + Workforce Development for NC TECH, said that the February 2023 number was the lowest in at least four years.
“While this is concerning on the surface, the NC unemployment rate remains steady at a low 3.8%,” Fleming wrote. She also pointed to positive trends shown in the Federal Jobs report, which showed NC job gains in leisure, hospitality, construction, government, education, and health.
“These are all areas which have seen slower rebounds from the pandemic,” said Fleming. “The tech job market remains in murky territory with rebalancing of pandemic hires combined with economic concerns.”
The full report breaks down the top listings by MSA, job type, skills, and certifications.
