Employer demand for US technology talent climbed to a three-year high in September, even as the technology sector itself shed roughly 10,000 jobs, according to CompTIA's monthly Tech Jobs Report. The split highlights a labor market where companies are listing more openings than they are filling, and where traditional IT roles are holding up while AI-related skills are reshaping where the new postings sit.
- New IT job postings in September
- 272,040
- Active tech job postings
- 625,633
- Active postings year-over-year change
- Up 22.4%
- Tech sector employment change in September
- Down about 10,350
- Tech occupation employment across all sectors
- Down about 6,000
- Tech worker unemployment rate
- 3.3%
- US national unemployment rate
- 4.2%
Postings hit a three-year high while tech hiring slipped
CompTIA, the technology industry association, reported on October 2 that employers posted 272,040 new openings for IT occupations in September, pushing the total of active job postings for tech roles to 625,633, the highest level in more than three years.
New IT job postings were up 16% from September 2025, and active postings rose 22.4% year over year, according to CompTIA's analysis of data from Lightcast and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Yet the same report shows that actual employment in the technology sector fell by an estimated 10,350 positions in September, while tech occupation employment across all industries contracted by about 6,000 roles. Tech worker unemployment edged up to 3.3%, still well below the national rate of 4.2%.
"Even in an environment where employers remain generally cautious about hiring, there is still strong demand for the core IT skills that can help companies build digital discipline and advance AI adoption," Seth Robinson, vice president of research at CompTIA, said in the release.
Software, cybersecurity and data drive the demand
Software developers and engineers remained the most sought-after technology workers in September, with employers posting 47,598 new openings, up 8.3% from August, CompTIA found. Systems engineers ranked second, followed by tech support specialists, data analysts and DevOps engineers.
Twenty-three of the 30 highest-volume technology occupations recorded month-over-month gains in job postings, and sixteen of the 20 industries CompTIA tracks posted monthly increases. The breadth of the demand is what sets the September report apart from earlier 2026 readings, Robinson told the outlet: "The number of active job postings jumping to the level that it did is a signal that the gap between demand and supply is not only still there, but it's maybe growing a little bit," he said.
What the gap means for candidates and hiring teams
The combination of rising postings and falling tech sector payrolls is the kind of environment where hiring teams can pick up talent from other industries, Daniel Zhao, chief economist at Glassdoor, told CIO Dive. "This can be an environment where it's beneficial to try to find talent that would be too hard to compete for in a hotter job market," Zhao said.
More than seven million people are employed in tech occupations in the United States, and IT unemployment remains below the broader rate. For now, the September Tech Jobs Report suggests employers are signaling what they want, even when they are not yet able to add the headcount to match.
Primary source
Check the original source
CompTIA press release is the source to consult for the underlying data, statement, ruling or live context.