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Not across the board. The latest evidence shows a mixed picture: U.S. workers report more difficulty changing jobs, and technology hiring indicators can fluctuate, but federal projections still point to growth in computer and mathematical occupations over 2025–35. Rising prices are real, but the available figures do not show that inflation caused technology layoffs.
What do the latest numbers say about tech jobs?
There is no single measure that settles whether “tech jobs” are rising or falling. Technology can mean jobs at technology companies, technology-related occupations at employers across the economy, job postings, or layoffs announced by individual firms. Those measures cover different groups and time periods, so they should not be treated as interchangeable.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects growth across computer and mathematical occupations in the long term, while its August 2026 Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) reports openings, hires, and layoffs for the entire U.S. economy. Neither figure is a direct count of current technology-industry hiring.
| Measure | What it reports | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| BLS occupational projections | Computer and mathematical occupations are projected to grow 7.3% from 2025 to 2035; data scientists are projected to grow 34.6% over the same period. BLS, released August 27, 2026. | Long-range projections, not a forecast of month-to-month vacancies or an individual applicant’s prospects. |
| BLS JOLTS | In August 2026, the U.S. economy had 7.1 million job openings, 5.2 million hires, and 1.6 million layoffs and discharges. BLS, released September 29, 2026. | Economy-wide counts; these are not technology-sector totals. |
| Federal Reserve household survey | Its May 2026 report describes 2025 labor-market indicators as generally solid, with a slight rise in layoffs, fewer voluntary quits and job changes, and more young adults reporting they could not find work. | Reported worker experience across the economy, not a technology-industry layoff tally. |
| CompTIA technology indicators | Its August 2026 report includes technology employment and posting indicators. | CompTIA cautions that not all technology categories are available monthly, the measure is a proxy, monthly data are volatile, and revisions may occur. |
Why can layoffs rise while tech occupations are projected to grow?
Layoffs are not the same as total employment
A company’s layoff announcement counts planned or reported reductions at that employer. It does not, by itself, show the net change in employment across an occupation or the whole industry: other employers may hire, and an announced reduction is not the same measure as completed hires or payroll employment. A sector-wide conclusion requires data covering that sector and the relevant period.
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Technology jobs exist outside technology companies
A software developer, data scientist, or cybersecurity specialist may work in technology, finance, health care, government, manufacturing, or another industry. Industry employment counts jobs at a type of employer; occupational employment counts people doing a type of work across employers. A downturn among some technology firms does not automatically establish that all technology occupations are declining.
Postings are not completed hires
A posting is an advertised opening, not proof that a position is new, funded, still active, or ultimately filled. Posting indicators can help show changes in employer demand, but they do not equal hires. CompTIA specifically warns that its monthly technology measures are incomplete proxies and can be volatile or revised. Treat a month’s movement as a signal to check against other measures, not as a definitive count of jobs gained or lost.
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Monthly conditions and decade-long projections answer different questions
JOLTS describes openings and labor turnover in a particular month; BLS occupational projections estimate change over a ten-year horizon. A weak month can coexist with projected long-run growth, just as a favorable projection cannot guarantee that a particular role, employer, or location is hiring now.
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Consumer costs were rising in the latest cited inflation release. BLS reported that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 3.4% over the 12 months ending in August 2026; the energy index rose 16.3% over that year. These figures document price pressure on consumers. They do not establish that inflation caused employers to cut technology jobs.
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Employer decisions can have multiple influences, and the figures above do not identify the cause of any particular layoff or hiring slowdown. It is reasonable to ask whether costs affect a company’s budget, but linking that hypothesis to technology employment requires separate evidence about the employer and its decisions. Do not infer causation from inflation and layoff figures that measure different things.
Is AI replacing technology workers?
The cited evidence shows adoption, not a count of jobs displaced. The Federal Reserve’s May 2026 report said one in four workers used generative AI at work in the prior month in 2025. That finding measures reported use; it does not show that one in four jobs, or any particular number of jobs, was replaced.
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BLS also cautions that its projections cannot isolate the effect of one technology. Its projections incorporate multiple influences, including technological change, but they cannot establish how much of a job gain or loss is caused by AI. AI may affect industries and the mix of tasks within occupations; the available figures do not support describing it as the demonstrated cause of a sector-wide technology-job decline.
What should a technology job seeker do with these indicators?
Check whether a statistic matches the role you want
- For a specific occupation’s long-run outlook, consult the relevant BLS projection rather than relying on a headline about technology-company layoffs.
- For near-term hiring, look at current postings and employer announcements, but remember that advertised openings are not completed hires.
- For a claimed change in technology employment, check whether the source measures technology companies, technology occupations across all industries, or the whole economy.
Use more than one time scale
Compare a current indicator with a longer period rather than making a career decision from one volatile month. Keep the date and scope attached to each figure: an economy-wide monthly total cannot answer whether a particular technology specialty is growing in a particular area.
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Evaluate training against the role, not a survey ranking
In a January 2025 CompTIA survey, job seekers ranked earning an industry-recognized technical certification as their top technology-career strategy. That is a report of what respondents prioritized, not proof that a credential is required or that earning one causes a person to get hired. Before investing in certification preparation, compare the credential with the skills and qualifications employers list for the roles you are pursuing.
What can be concluded from the 2026 evidence?
The evidence supports a more qualified account than a blanket claim that U.S. technology jobs are declining: workers faced challenges in 2025, technology-sector indicators can shift month to month, and consumer prices continued to rise. At the same time, BLS projects growth in computer and mathematical occupations over 2025–35. These facts describe different dimensions of the labor market; they do not establish that rising costs caused technology layoffs or that AI has produced a broad net loss of tech jobs.
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