Job postings for future hiring a positive in the latest tech employment data, CompTIA analysis finds
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Technology companies reduced staffing and tech occupations throughout the economy showed little change in January, according to analysis by CompTIA, the leading global provider of vendor-neutral information technology (IT) training and certifications.
At the same time, employer job posting for tech positions increased 13% from December 2025 to January 2026.
Tech industry employment declined by an estimated 20,155 jobs in January, affecting workers in both technical and non-technical occupations, CompTIA's analysis of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) #JobsReport data shows.1 Telecommunications companies accounted for the bulk of the job losses, estimated at 15,000, and likely a combination of reductions in holiday seasonal workers in retail stores and broader telecom layoffs announced late in 2025.
Employment increased modestly in the IT and custom software services and systems design category, which accounts for nearly 2.4 million jobs in the total tech sector workforce of 5.25 million workers.
"The turnaround in services employment may indicate a shift toward capitalizing on investments in software and hardware," said Seth Robinson, vice president, industry research, CompTIA.
Tech occupation employment, which encompasses technology professionals working in all industry sectors, declined by an estimated 2,000 workers.2 The unemployment rate for tech occupations rose to 3.6% in January, compared to the national unemployment rate of 4.3%. More than 6.6 million workers are employed in tech occupations in the U.S.
New job postings for technology positions totaled 220,420 in January. In all there were more than 465,000 active job postings for tech occupations last month, nearly 4% higher than the previous month.3 This follows a pattern seen in previous years where employers slow their hiring searches at the end of one calendar year and accelerate hiring activity to start the new year. The increase in new tech job postings was evident in several industry sectors.
Manufacturing | + 46.6 % |
Finance and Insurance | + 37.3 % |
Information | + 17.1 % |
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services | + 16.3 % |
Tech job postings were also widely distributed geographically. Baltimore, Charlotte, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and San Francisco were among the major metropolitan markets that saw a 25% or higher increase in tech job postings last month.
The "CompTIA Tech Jobs Report" is available at https://www.comptia.org/en-us/resources/research/tech-jobs-report/.
About CompTIA
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/.
Contact
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
[email protected]
630-678-8468
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.
SOURCE CompTIA
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