US tech jobs are climbing again, according to new figures from CompTIA, with tech hiring reaching its highest point since this time last year.
Analysis of Bureau of Labor statistics shows the tech sector added 2,181 jobs during May 2024 - a little less than in previous months, but bringing the total up to nearly 5.6 million.
There were 209,000 new job postings for tech occupations during the month, an increase of nearly 27,000 from April and the highest total since June 2023, according to CompTIA.
In total, there were almost 427,000 active tech job postings across May. This, CompTIA said, is due to a steady rise in job postings for AI occupations or positions requiring AI skills, which amounted to more than 26,000 positions - 12% of all tech openings.
"The jump in tech job postings is an encouraging indicator more employers are coming off the sidelines," said Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA.
"It may reflect pent up demand for the tech talent companies will need to support digital growth initiatives."
The unemployment rate for tech occupations dropped to 2.5% - well below the national average of 4%. Several tech occupation categories saw a double-digit increase in job postings in May, including data scientists, up 24%, database administrators, up by 18%, and software developers, up 17%.
Postings for web developers rose by 15%, for network architects 12% and tech support specialists by 10%.
Three states saw tech job postings grow by more than 2,000 for the month, including Texas, California, and Illinois. Meanwhile, Georgia, New York, Michigan, and Florida saw increases of more than 1,000 each.
Similarly, tech job postings rose by more than a third in Lansing and Indianapolis, and rose by 30% in Providence, 29% in Chicago and 28% in San Antonio.
It seems that employers are widening their search for tech talent, with 45% of all active tech job postings in May not requiring a four-year degree.
The figure was even higher for some essential tech positions such as network support specialists, where only 14% of postings required a four year degree, IT support specialists with a figure of 72%, network and systems administrators at 54% and programmers at 50%.
