Tech jobs numbers show positive growth for sector

Tech unemployment dropped again in June, a potential sign of the industry recovering after months of uncertainty.

That’s of little surprise to tech hiring platform Dice, which recently published research that found hiring in the sector has shifted across industries and roles, primarily in the financial services sector, which saw a 47% rise in job postings year over year, and AI and machine learning, which increased 173% in the same period.

Art Zeile, CEO of Dice parent company DHI Group, told IT Brew that he sees the current job market as a reflection of an AI boom that the New York Times noted has fueled “a $3.2 trillion deal-making frenzy” in 2026. Enterprises that want to enable AI for their businesses need help.

“People are really embracing AI right now, and they know that they need technology professionals to do so,” Zeile said.

That’s playing out on the ground as the job market tightens up. According to CompTIA, which analyzes Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers, tech occupation unemployment, at 2.9%, is well below the national unemployment rate of 4.2%. It has been consistently dropping; in May, the rate was 3.1%, a decline from 3.5% the month before.

Seth Robinson, CompTIA industry research VP, said in a statement accompanying the data that it “suggests that employers are ramping up their technology investments and hiring the talent needed to support them.”

“Even as some tech companies announce layoffs, employers in other industries are accelerating digital transformation initiatives and moving from AI experimentation to implementation,” Robinson added.

Yet despite the positive swing in the unemployment rate, industry headlines continue to be dominated by layoffs. On July 6, Xbox announced it was cutting positions as part of a “restructuring” effort; notably, however, the company says it is focusing on reducing bureaucratic management layers rather than slashing jobs in production.

For Zeile, it’s another sign of how things are changing in the tech job market, and an opportunity for job-seekers. Monthly tech job postings were up 290,000 a month in May, a level more in line with traditional replacement, Zeile said. Learning to work with AI, he added, is key, as is proving you have the talent.

“You have to adopt AI for your career, and I would start searching for certifications that are relevant because that’s what an employer would look for,” Zeile said.