Employer demand for tech talent reaches three-year high, CompTIA analysis finds

September new job postings up 16% year over year

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Oct. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Employer demand for technology talent strengthened in September, increasing across a broad range of occupations, industries and skill areas, according to analysis by CompTIA.

Employers posted 272,040 new openings for IT occupations in September. Active job postings climbed to 625,633, the highest total in more than three years. Compared with September 2025, new IT job postings increased 16% and active postings rose 22.4%, reflecting sustained employer demand for workers with IT skills.¹

"Even in an environment where employers remain generally cautious about hiring, there is still strong demand for the core IT skills that can help companies build digital discipline and advance AI adoption," said Seth Robinson, vice president, research, CompTIA.

Sixteen of the 20 industries tracked by CompTIA recorded month-over-month increases in tech job postings.

While demand for tech talent increased across the broader economy, employment in the technology sector declined by an estimated 10,350 positions in September, according to CompTIA's analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) #JobsReport data. Tech occupation employment across all industries fell by roughly 6,000 positions. Unemployment for tech workers edged up to 3.3%, below the national rate of 4.2%.² Over seven million individuals are employed in tech occupations.

Software, cybersecurity and data lead employer demand

Software developers and engineers remained the most sought-after technology professionals in September, with employers posting 47,598 new openings, up 8.3% from August. Systems engineers ranked second, followed by tech support specialists, data analysts and DevOps engineers. Overall, 23 of the 30 highest-volume technology occupations recorded month-over-month gains in job postings.

Active job postings requiring AI-related skills totaled 349,821, an increase of 32,327 postings from August. Since May 2024, active postings requiring AI-related skills have increased by approximately 282%. At the same time, employer demand for dedicated AI and machine learning occupations continues to grow. Active postings within CompTIA's AI/ML job titles group reached 13,636 in September, nearly triple the level recorded in May 2024.

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 leading global provider of vendor-neutral training and certification products in the information technology (IT) space. Over four million CompTIA certifications have been awarded to current and aspiring technology workers, business professionals, government and military personnel, career changers, students and others. Working in partnership with thousands of academic institutions, governments, training providers and workforce development organizations, CompTIA uses best-in-class learning solutions, industry-recognized certifications and career resources to help job seekers reach their full potential and employers develop skilled technical talent. Learn more at https://www.comptia.org/.

Contact
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
[email protected]

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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.

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SOURCE CompTIA