Main image of article Tech Unemployment Hit 2.4 Percent in January
The latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) suggests that unemployment in the technology industry hit 2.4 percent in January, down from 3.6 percent in December 2015. The technology segments monitored by the BLS added a few thousand jobs last month. For example, tech consulting added 3,400 positions, while computer and electronic product manufacturing racked up 1,800 new jobs. Data processing, hosting, and related services lost 100 jobs. The BLS estimated the national unemployment rate at 4.9 percent, the lowest level in eight years. Despite these low unemployment figures, reported layoffs at tech firms such as Yahoo, along with concerns about growth at Twitter and other leading-edge Web properties, have made a number of tech pros nervous about the state of the industry. Headlines about the popping of “Internet Bubble 2.0” certainly aren’t calming anyone down. Whatever happens in the broader economy, however, the fact remains that the core skills that many tech professionals possess—whether analytics, or Web development, or UX—will prove vital for many years to come. Companies come and go; skillsets endure.