US Tech Employment Adds Jobs as AI Skills Demand Continues to Rise
US technology employment increased by approximately 7,200 jobs in October, while IT occupations across the economy gained about 26,000 positions, according to CompTIA analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Employer demand also strengthened, with IT job postings rising from September and from October 2025.
- Tech industry employment increased by approximately 7,200 jobs in October.
- IT occupations gained approximately 26,000 jobs, with unemployment at 2.8%.
- Employers added 290,892 new IT job postings during the month.
- AI skills appeared in 366,322 active job postings, up 6.2% from September.
- Software developer and engineer roles led October postings with 51,944 listings.
Tech employment and job postings strengthen
Technology industry employment grew in October across manufacturing, information services, search and platforms, and IT and custom software services, CompTIA said. The company’s analysis found that IT occupations throughout the economy increased by approximately 26,000 jobs during the month.
The unemployment rate for IT workers declined to 2.8%, compared with a national unemployment rate of 4.1%. More than 7 million people work in tech occupations, according to CompTIA.
Employers added 290,892 new job postings for IT occupations in October. That was a 4.5% increase from September and a 22.2% increase from October 2025. Active job postings totaled 629,876, up 18.5% year over year.
Software and engineering roles lead demand
Software developer and engineer positions recorded the largest number of new postings, with 51,944 in October. The figure increased 6.3% from September.
Several other technology occupations recorded double-digit gains, including DevOps engineers, infrastructure architects, cybersecurity engineers and data scientists. From January through October, employers generated approximately 2.66 million new IT occupation job postings, 16.6% more than in the corresponding period of 2025.
CompTIA vice president of research Seth Robinson said, “The strength in tech hiring and job postings is encouraging, but the bigger story is where the demand is occurring.”
AI skills spread across technology and other industries
Active job postings associated with AI skills reached 366,322 in October, up 6.2% from September. Demand for specialized AI positions increased 9.8%.
CompTIA said the two measures reflect different types of workforce demand. AI-specific job titles describe specialized roles, while the broader skills measure captures demand for AI capabilities in jobs that may not include AI in their title.
Employers in professional and technical services, manufacturing, health care, construction and other sectors are seeking technology skills. Robinson said this demand reinforces “the value of building adaptable technology skills.”
What the figures mean for technology workers
The October figures point to continued demand for both established technology roles and AI-related capabilities across the economy. The strongest opportunities are not limited to dedicated AI positions, since employers are also seeking AI skills in a wider range of jobs.
CompTIA cautioned that labor market data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and employer job postings from Lightcast may be subject to backward revisions. It also said monthly occupation-level data from the bureau tends to experience higher levels of variance and volatility.
PR Newswire: Tech employment gains momentum in October, CompTIA analysis finds
