AI jumps in tech job postings as demand in the sector remains strong

A strong national jobs report carried over to the tech sector, and AI—no surprise—grabbed more of its share of the pie.

A CompTIA analysis of November’s job numbers found AI accounted for 12% of job postings in the tech industry, marking the first time those jobs exceeded 10% of the total.

Jobs in emerging technology fields or requiring those skills were responsible for 26% of the total.

“As an enabling technology, companies hiring for AI skills inevitably need to boost adjacencies in areas such as data infrastructure, cybersecurity, and business process automation,” CompTIA chief research officer Tim Herbert said in a statement accompanying the report.

By the numbers. Overall, tech jobs figures for November show that the number of employed workers held steady at around 5.6 million across technology infrastructure, telecommunications, software, and services. Tech occupation employment dropped by 210,000, but that followed an increase of around 483,000 jobs in October.

Tech unemployment in November dropped to 1.7%, less than half the national average, from 2.1% in October. Small and medium businesses (SMBs) led the way, posting 84% of tech services and software jobs.

Shop local. While the popular focus may be on AI at the moment, the importance of the SMB market when it comes to AI employment opportunities can’t be overstated. As IT Brew has reported throughout 2023, IT jobs are plentiful but qualified candidates are in short supply. As the industry sees a boom in AI development, we can expect to see job postings in the sub-sector grow.