Turmoil weighs on tech jobs market, CompTIA reporting confirms

Tech hiring intent remains stable at 203,000 new job listings

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., May 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tech hiring activity in April felt the weight of ongoing economic uncertainties and mixed market signals, CompTIA, the leading global provider of vendor-neutral information technology (IT) training and certification products, reported today.

Tech sector companies reduced staffing by a net 7,000 positions in April, analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) #JobsReport data reveals.¹ Hiring gains in the tech services sector were not enough to offset job losses in tech manufacturing, telecommunications and cloud infrastructure.

Across the economy, tech occupation employment declined by an estimated 214,000 positions.² The unemployment rate for tech occupations experienced a corresponding increase, rising to 3.5% from the previously reported rate of 3.1%.

Job postings for technology positions declined modestly in April, though employers added nearly 203,000 new listings. In total, there were almost 450,000 active tech job postings last month.³ Software developers and engineers, systems engineers and architects, tech support specialists, cybersecurity engineers and analysts and network engineers and architects were in high demand.

Employer hiring for artificial intelligence (AI) positions or those that require AI-related skills continue to increase. New job postings for April stand at 55,726, an increase of 184% over the same month a year ago, according to CompTIA analysis of Lightcast job posting data.

"It was not a great month of data, but expected given the circumstances," said Tim Herbert, chief research officer, CompTIA. "Employer tech job postings continue to hold up, so a possible sign that hiring will resume as companies find their bearings."

Employers continue to pursue skills-based hiring strategies. About one-half of all April tech job postings did not specify a need for a four-year academic degree.

On a geographic basis, California led all states with 26,280 tech jobs postings in April, an increase of 1,037 from March. Texas, Virginia and New York followed with the most postings among states, while Arizona, West Virginia and Maryland had the biggest month over month increases on a percentage basis.

Nine metropolitan areas each had more than 5,000 tech job postings in April, with New York City (12,526), Washington, D.C. (11,945) and Dallas (9,789) at the top of the list. Metro markets with double digit increases in job postings from March to April included San Francisco (+14%), Phoenix (+11%) and Trenton (+16%).

The "CompTIA Tech Jobs Report" is available here.

About CompTIA

CompTIA Inc. is the leading global 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/.

Media Contact
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
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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