Dive Brief:
- IT roles across the economy contracted for the second consecutive month as employers reported 118,000 fewer tech positions in March, according to a CompTIA review of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
- Unemployment among technology professionals also increased last month, reaching 3.9% — up from 3.1% a year ago but still shy of the national average of 4.3%.
- Despite pullbacks in active employment, employers signaled future hiring intent by adding 254,000 new tech job postings during the month. More than half a million job postings remain active across technology categories, according to CompTIA.
Dive Insight:
Employers in tech are not immune to the current macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical risks that are weighing on hiring sentiment across industries.
But despite an overall job growth spurt in March, a low-hire/low-fire dynamic has become entrenched in recent months, according to Indeed analysis.
"I will point out that the long-term unemployment rate went above 25% this month," Laura Ullrich, director of economic research for the Indeed Hiring Lab, told CIO Dive. "That's notable as well. Your probability of becoming unemployed really hasn't gone up all that much, but if you become unemployed, it is much harder to get a job now in many sectors."
Technology workers have been hit harder by layoffs than professionals in other categories, Ullrich said, pointing to a 2.4% layoff rate in the information sector — which includes some technology roles — in the most recent official report on labor turnover for February. That's more than double the average layoff rate of 1.1% for the same period.
Staffing cuts in the tech sector have been making headlines in recent months, most recently a large round of layoffs at Oracle this week, which investment firm TD Cowen estimated to impact 30,000 workers. Oracle declined to comment on the cuts in an email to CIO Dive.
Amazon also trimmed its headcount by 16,000 workers at the beginning of the year, while Meta reportedly cut hundreds of roles last month. IBM closed out 2025 by announcing a plan to trim thousands of roles as the company focused on software and infrastructure.
As CIOs and other tech leaders contend with pressure to deliver on AI rollouts and widescale modernization, the hiring climate presents an opportunity to bring valuable skills on board.
"With some hiring slowdown and AI reshaping roles, high-quality, experienced talent is more accessible, especially those who understand enterprise complexity," said Kye Mitchell, head of Experis North America, in an email to CIO Dive. "The key is to hire for adaptability over narrow skills."
A sign of strength in future hiring intent is coming from sectors beyond technology, according to CompTIA. Real estate, retail trade and finance employers increased their tech job postings by double-digit percentages last month.
"There is talent that is out there waiting to be sourced," said Ullrich. "That's especially true for CIOs that are not in the tech sector. Before, they couldn't source the same talent as a big tech company, but maybe now they can."
