DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., March 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Technology employment experienced modest job growth in February, with employers in the tech sector and the broader U.S. economy adding workers, according to analysis by CompTIA, the leading global provider of vendor-neutral information technology (IT) training and certifications.
Tech industry employment increased by an estimated 5,100 jobs in February, CompTIA's analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) #JobsReport data shows.1 Companies added an estimated 5,900 workers in IT and custom software services and systems design jobs, more than offsetting staffing reductions in other areas. More than 5.2 million people are employed by technology companies, a combination of technical and non-technical positions.
Tech occupation employment, which includes technology professionals working in all industry sectors, increased by 60,000 jobs.2 The unemployment rate for tech occupations increased slightly to 3.8%, but remains lower than the national unemployment rate.
Active employer job postings for technology occupations increased 9% in February, to 505,045. That total includes more than 230,000 new postings added during the month.3
Several metropolitan markets saw double-digit percentage increases in tech job postings led by New York City, which saw a 33% increase from January to February. Employers in the New York metro area listed nearly 16,000 openings for tech occupations last month. San Antonio (+ 24%), San Diego (+ 22%), Austin (+ 18%), Huntsville (+ 18%) and San Jose (+ 14%) also recorded notable increases.
Employers are searching for a mix of technology skills and expertise. Positions in highest demand include software developers and engineers, systems engineers, tech support specialists, cybersecurity engineers and analysts and artificial intelligence engineers.
Employers advertised tech job postings at all career stages, with 17% of postings targeting workers with eight years or more experience; 29% specifying workers with four to seven years' experience; and 20%, zero to three years.
The data also shows that employers are not requiring a four-year college degree for a significant percentage of tech positions in areas such as network support, tech support, web development, network and systems administration and database administration.
CompTIA, Inc. is the world's leading provider of vendor-neutral information technology (IT) training and certification products. CompTIA unlocks potential in millions of aspiring technology professionals and careers changers. Working in partnership with thousands of academic institutions and training providers, CompTIA helps students build career-ready skills through best-in-class learning solutions, industry-recognized certifications and career resources. Learn more at https://www.comptia.org/.
1 Labor market data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and employer job postings from Lightcast may be subject to backward revisions.
2 Monthly occupation level data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics tends to experience higher levels of variance and volatility.
3 Active job postings include new postings added by employers in the latest month and open postings carried over from previous months.
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