IT Employment Numbers Show Some Slipping

With a loss of 1,800 workers, IT employment pulled back in October, according to a report released Nov. 10 by the National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses.

This .05 percent decline in October came one month after the NACCB, an Alexandria, Va. trade association that represents IT staffing and solutions firms, announced that IT hiring had been flat in September, the first month without growth in more than a year.

Still, the report asserts that the slight decline is just a small spot in a bright picture for IT employment prospects. The IT services industry is described as “buoyant,” as employment has grown 140,000 jobs, or 4 percent, since October 2005.

“In light of both strong year-over-year employment data, very favorable anecdotal reports and upbeat predictions from prognosticators, I continue to be very bullish on the prospect for strong demand for the services of IT staffing firms who are able to identify and recruit the right IT professionals on a just in time basis,” said Mark Roberts, NACCB CEO, in a statement.

There were 3,669,400 individuals employed in IT in October, which after September was the highest level of IT employment in the last 12 months.

IT employment was on a steady incline from January through September of 2006. The report attributes the downturn to dips in employment in some manufacturing sub-sectors.

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