September
2025 Jobs Report
September
2025 Jobs Report
Methodology
To present the insights in this report, Dice used job posting data provided by Dice's partner, Lightcast, which has a database of more than 1 billion current and historical job postings worldwide. Dice pulled data on September 8, 2025 and analyzed over 7 million tech job postings in the U.S. to gather our specific dataset, which we then filtered for "Information Technology" jobs that fall under "Full Time," "Part Time" and "Flexible Hours." We gathered the list of top employers in the "Industry Analysis" section by using the above criteria, with an additional filter for job postings that only derive from employer sites. The information in this report is a snapshot of tech job posting data as of September 8, 2025, and backward revisions to prior month's data may occur from the sources used in this report.
How are tech jobs faring in the hiring market?
Tech hiring momentum remains challenging. Tech job postings dropped by 9.3% from July to August 2025 with an even more concerning 16.3% decline year-over-year. The tech unemployment rate ticked up to 3.0% from 2.9% the previous month, though it continues to sit below the national unemployment rate of 4.3%, which also increased from 4.2% in July.
Despite these broader headwinds, AI integration continues its relentless march forward. By August, 43% of U.S. tech job postings required AI skills, up from 40% in July. While monthly AI skill requirements remained relatively flat from July to August, the year-over-year story tells a different story with an 80% jump in AI skill requirements from August 2024 to August 2025. This increase demonstrates companies' unwavering commitment to AI transformation, even amid broader hiring pullbacks.
Where are tech job postings concentrated?
Industry patterns reveal striking contrasts in this challenging environment. Media and Internet emerged as the clear winner, posting strong 157% month-over-month growth in tech job postings and leading year-over-year growth at an impressive 232%. This increase likely reflects the ongoing digital transformation and content platform expansion as companies double down on digital engagement strategies.
Retail followed with solid 32% month-over-month growth, while Aerospace and Defense showed 21% monthly gains—possibly driven by increased government spending and defense modernization initiatives. The Technology sector itself posted 19% month-over-month growth, with Healthcare and Finance/Banking each recording 16% monthly increases.
The year-over-year picture shows similar industry leadership, with Staffing (61% growth) and Manufacturing (51% growth) joining Media and Internet in positive territory, suggesting these sectors are building tech capabilities for future expansion.
Coastal concentration reversal?
Regional patterns paint a more sobering picture. Pennsylvania managed to achieve flat year-over-year growth in tech job postings—the only bright spot in an otherwise declining landscape. Traditional tech powerhouses faced significant headwinds: California and Georgia both dropped 11% year-over-year, while Texas and New Jersey fell 7%, Illinois declined 8%, and North Carolina dropped 5%.
Metro area performance mirrors these state-level challenges. Austin stands as the lone positive outlier with 3% year-over-year growth, while San Jose remained flat. Major metros experienced notable declines: Dallas down 8%, Atlanta and Chicago both falling 9%, and New York City dropping 13%. This geographic concentration suggests that even established tech hubs are grappling with the current market dynamics.
Who are companies hiring right now?
Specialized technical roles continue to command premium demand despite broader market softness. Systems Specialists exploded with 289% month-over-month growth, followed closely by Epic Application Analysts at 283%, reflecting healthcare organizations' ongoing digital transformation efforts. Data Center Account Managers, Software Engineers/Front End Developers, Platform Engineering Managers, and Front End Software Engineers all posted growth above 150%, indicating sustained demand for infrastructure and user-facing development expertise.
The skills landscape reveals fascinating patterns that highlight where the industry is heading. Security Management topped monthly skill growth at 77%, underscoring the escalating cybersecurity challenges facing organizations. The prominence of database and infrastructure skills—Apache Cassandra (63%), OpenShift (40%), and Apache Tomcat (40%)—alongside Case Management (49%) suggests companies are simultaneously strengthening their data architecture and operational capabilities.
These trending skills paint a picture of organizations building more robust, scalable technology foundations. The combination of Apache Cassandra's distributed database capabilities, OpenShift's container orchestration, and Apache Tomcat's application server functionality indicates a shift toward cloud-native, microservices-based architectures that can handle enterprise-scale operations while maintaining security and compliance.
Year-over-year skill trends tell an equally compelling story about organizational maturity. Trustworthiness leads with 435% growth, followed by Stakeholder Engagement (252%) and Cross-Functional Collaboration (173%)—soft skills that reflect the industry's recognition that technical excellence must be paired with business acumen and interpersonal effectiveness. CPT Coding (192%) and GDPR (137%) round out the top five, highlighting continued focus on healthcare technology and data privacy compliance.
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