Tech jobs grew by a net 18K in January

Although reports of layoffs abound — Microsoft, TikTok, Rio Games are but a few to make cuts already in 2024 — it’s still good to be in tech.

Technology companies nationwide added nearly 18,000 workers in January and there are more than 392,000 active job postings for tech occupations, with nearly 178,000 postings added last month, analysis by CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce, reveals.

CompTIA’s analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data reveals tech companies added jobs in January in four of the five primary sub-sectors, paced by technology services and software development (+14,500), cloud infrastructure (+2,100) and tech manufacturing, notably semiconductors (+1,400).

Technology occupations across the economy declined by an estimated 117,000 positions in January. The unemployment rate for tech occupations was unchanged at 2.3%. The national unemployment rate remains at 3.7%.

“This month’s data is a helpful reminder of the many moving parts in assessing tech workforce gains or losses,” said Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA. “The expansive tech workforce will simultaneously experience gains and losses reflecting employer short-term and longer-term staffing needs.”