CIOnomics · Tech Jobs
Tech Jobs
Spending on software against employment, hiring and unemployment in the industries that build it.
Quarterly · Sources: BEA, BLS
- Business investment in software reached $809 billion a year in the second quarter of 2026, up 75% since the end of 2019.
- Employment at IT services firms is 128,000 below its March 2023 peak.
- Job openings in the information sector are below 2019 levels, and less than half their 2022 average.
- Unemployment in the information industry is 5.3%, against 4.3% for all workers. In 2019 the two were level.
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US businesses invested $809 billion a year in software in the second quarter of 2026, 75% more than at the end of 2019.
Bureau of Economic Analysis, seasonally adjusted annual rate. CIOPages CIOnomics, Tech Jobs, Q4 2026.
IT services firms employ 128,000 fewer people than at their March 2023 peak.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, September 2026. CIOPages CIOnomics, Tech Jobs, Q4 2026.
Job openings in the information sector averaged 88,000 a month in the first eight months of 2026, down from 224,000 in 2022 and below 2019's 141,000.
Bureau of Labor Statistics. CIOPages CIOnomics, Tech Jobs, Q4 2026.
Unemployment in the information industry is 5.3%, against 4.3% for all workers. In 2019 the two were level.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 12 months to September 2026. CIOPages CIOnomics, Tech Jobs, Q4 2026.
By the government's own measure, the price of business software fell about 11% between the end of 2019 and the second quarter of 2026.
Bureau of Economic Analysis, implied by real and nominal software investment. CIOPages CIOnomics, Tech Jobs, Q4 2026.
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