The U.S. IT workforce is poised for even more growth this year as organization look to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and continue their path towards digital transformation, according to a new report from IT trade association group CompTIA.
The organization’s Cyberstates report says all five top-level employment categories are expected to add workers in 2021, with the IT services and custom software categories to lead the way with over 100,000 new workers thanks to the recovering small and medium-size business market that are expected to resume technology projects.
Leading all categories on a percent change basis is the software-as-a-service group, which is projected to grow its workforce at just over 5% this year.
Meanwhile, tech manufacturing, telecommunications and internet service, R&D, testing and engineering services are all expected to expand their workforces between 1% and 2%.
On the technology occupation side, which includes tech professionals employed across all industry sectors, will be drive by advances in digital transformation, according to CompTIA’s report.
Topping the list of gains is cybersecurity (+4.4%), data science and analytics (+4.4%), software development (+3.7%), and a range of cloud infrastructure and support positions, such as IT support specialists (+2.2%).
By the end of this year, the base of infrastructure-related IT jobs will reach nearly 1.4 million workers, the foundation underpinning fast-growing emerging technologies, according to the report.
“As we look ahead to a rapidly evolving future of work and the ever-expanding digital economy, both immense opportunity and challenges loom,” Tim Herbert, executive vice president for research and market intelligence at CompTIA. “Cyberstates confirms the importance of building resilient workforces and businesses through skills development, robust and secure digital infrastructure, and innovation-minded leadership.”
CompTIA also said the growth is widespread across the U.S., as growth in ne tech employment is expected across 48 states. Among the 51 metro areas covered in the report, 49 will grow their tech workforces, accounting for nearly two-thirds of tech job gains across the nation.
For more insights, including diversity statistics, read the report here.
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