IT employment in the US was essentially flat in May — edging down by just 200 jobs from April — with total IT employment at more than 5.3 million, the TechServe Alliance reported today. May’s number follo ws four consecutive months of modest growth.
On a year-over-year basis, IT employment was down 21,900 jobs in May, according to the organization’s analysis of US jobs numbers.
“Although the overall job market posted strong gains, IT employment is still struggling to gain momentum after the extraordinary run-up in the aftermath of Covid,” TechServe CEO Mark Roberts said in a press release.
“With a multitude of mixed signals from the economy and pervasive uncertainty including the future direction of the Fed’s interest rate policy, many employers remain cautious in their hiring,” Roberts continued. “A counterweight to this caution is the need for companies to continue to invest in IT initiatives such as AI that are essential to maintaining a competitive edge.”
The TechServe Alliance also reported that engineering employment rose by 5,400 jobs in May for total employment of more than 2.8 million. Engineering employment is up by 42,200 jobs year over year.
The TechServe Alliance is a trade association of IT and engineering staffing firms.