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IT Unemployment Rate 2026: Tech Joblessness Is Still Below the National Rate, but the Gap Is the Narrowest Since 2003

The IT unemployment rate in the United States was 3.3% in September 2026, below the 4.0% rate for all workers on the same unadjusted basis. We pulled every month of Bureau of Labor Statistics data for computer and mathematical occupations since 2000. Tech workers are still less likely to be jobless than average, but the gap, 1.0 points so far in 2026, is the smallest since 2003.

The gauge, September 2026

0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%IT, January to September 2019 average: 1.86%IT, 2019IT (computer and mathematical occupations), September 2026: 3.3%IT 3.3%All workers, September 2026 (not seasonally adjusted): 4.0%All 4.0%
3.3%IT unemployment rate, September 2026 (not seasonally adjusted)
1.0 ptsgap to the national rate, Jan to Sep 2026: narrowest since 2003
235Kunemployed tech workers, Jan to Sep average: a 2000 to 2026 high
7.0%recent computer science grads unemployed (New York Fed, 2024)

Is tech unemployment above the national rate in 2026?

No

From January to September 2026, the IT unemployment rate averaged 3.33% against 4.32% for all workers. The last month the IT rate topped the national rate was April 2003, in the aftermath of the dot-com bust. What changed is the size of the cushion: in 2019, tech unemployment ran at 49% of the national rate; in 2026 it is 77%, the highest ratio since 2004.

The tighter comparison is with experienced workers only. The BLS assigns unemployed people to an occupation by their last job, so first-time job seekers never count toward the IT rate but do count toward the national one. Stripping them out, the national rate for January to September 2026 is 3.88%, just 0.55 points above tech. On that like-for-like basis, the IT rate rose above the experienced-worker rate in September 2025 and November 2025, the first months it did so since April 2004.

Tech unemployment rate since 2015

IT, 12-month average All workers, 12-month average Experienced workers IT, single month

0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Jan 2015: IT 2.5%, all workers 6.1%Feb 2015: IT 2.4%, all workers 5.8%Mar 2015: IT 2.0%, all workers 5.6%Apr 2015: IT 1.9%, all workers 5.1%May 2015: IT 1.5%, all workers 5.3%Jun 2015: IT 2.5%, all workers 5.5%Jul 2015: IT 3.4%, all workers 5.6%Aug 2015: IT 2.9%, all workers 5.2%Sep 2015: IT 2.8%, all workers 4.9%Oct 2015: IT 2.8%, all workers 4.8%Nov 2015: IT 3.4%, all workers 4.8%Dec 2015: IT 2.6%, all workers 4.8%Jan 2016: IT 2.4%, all workers 5.3%Feb 2016: IT 2.5%, all workers 5.2%Mar 2016: IT 2.4%, all workers 5.1%Apr 2016: IT 2.0%, all workers 4.7%May 2016: IT 2.0%, all workers 4.5%Jun 2016: IT 2.2%, all workers 5.1%Jul 2016: IT 2.9%, all workers 5.1%Aug 2016: IT 2.4%, all workers 5.0%Sep 2016: IT 3.0%, all workers 4.8%Oct 2016: IT 3.1%, all workers 4.7%Nov 2016: IT 2.9%, all workers 4.4%Dec 2016: IT 2.6%, all workers 4.5%Jan 2017: IT 2.8%, all workers 5.1%Feb 2017: IT 2.7%, all workers 4.9%Mar 2017: IT 2.1%, all workers 4.6%Apr 2017: IT 2.5%, all workers 4.1%May 2017: IT 1.9%, all workers 4.1%Jun 2017: IT 2.3%, all workers 4.5%Jul 2017: IT 2.1%, all workers 4.6%Aug 2017: IT 2.4%, all workers 4.5%Sep 2017: IT 2.8%, all workers 4.1%Oct 2017: IT 2.5%, all workers 3.9%Nov 2017: IT 2.5%, all workers 3.9%Dec 2017: IT 2.4%, all workers 3.9%Jan 2018: IT 2.8%, all workers 4.5%Feb 2018: IT 2.5%, all workers 4.4%Mar 2018: IT 1.4%, all workers 4.1%Apr 2018: IT 1.7%, all workers 3.7%May 2018: IT 2.3%, all workers 3.6%Jun 2018: IT 1.9%, all workers 4.2%Jul 2018: IT 1.9%, all workers 4.1%Aug 2018: IT 2.5%, all workers 3.9%Sep 2018: IT 2.0%, all workers 3.6%Oct 2018: IT 2.1%, all workers 3.5%Nov 2018: IT 2.4%, all workers 3.5%Dec 2018: IT 2.1%, all workers 3.7%Jan 2019: IT 2.4%, all workers 4.4%Feb 2019: IT 2.3%, all workers 4.1%Mar 2019: IT 1.6%, all workers 3.9%Apr 2019: IT 2.4%, all workers 3.3%May 2019: IT 1.3%, all workers 3.4%Jun 2019: IT 1.5%, all workers 3.8%Jul 2019: IT 1.3%, all workers 4.0%Aug 2019: IT 1.5%, all workers 3.8%Sep 2019: IT 2.4%, all workers 3.3%Oct 2019: IT 2.2%, all workers 3.3%Nov 2019: IT 2.4%, all workers 3.3%Dec 2019: IT 2.3%, all workers 3.4%Jan 2020: IT 3.0%, all workers 4.0%Feb 2020: IT 2.4%, all workers 3.8%Mar 2020: IT 2.4%, all workers 4.5%Apr 2020: IT 4.3%, all workers 14.4%May 2020: IT 3.7%, all workers 13.0%Jun 2020: IT 4.3%, all workers 11.2%Jul 2020: IT 4.4%, all workers 10.5%Aug 2020: IT 4.6%, all workers 8.5%Sep 2020: IT 3.5%, all workers 7.7%Oct 2020: IT 2.8%, all workers 6.6%Nov 2020: IT 2.4%, all workers 6.4%Dec 2020: IT 3.0%, all workers 6.5%Jan 2021: IT 2.4%, all workers 6.8%Feb 2021: IT 2.4%, all workers 6.6%Mar 2021: IT 1.9%, all workers 6.2%Apr 2021: IT 2.5%, all workers 5.7%May 2021: IT 2.4%, all workers 5.5%Jun 2021: IT 2.2%, all workers 6.1%Jul 2021: IT 1.5%, all workers 5.7%Aug 2021: IT 1.5%, all workers 5.3%Sep 2021: IT 2.2%, all workers 4.6%Oct 2021: IT 2.1%, all workers 4.3%Nov 2021: IT 2.6%, all workers 3.9%Dec 2021: IT 2.0%, all workers 3.7%Jan 2022: IT 1.7%, all workers 4.4%Feb 2022: IT 2.0%, all workers 4.1%Mar 2022: IT 1.3%, all workers 3.8%Apr 2022: IT 1.7%, all workers 3.3%May 2022: IT 2.1%, all workers 3.4%Jun 2022: IT 1.8%, all workers 3.8%Jul 2022: IT 1.7%, all workers 3.8%Aug 2022: IT 2.3%, all workers 3.8%Sep 2022: IT 2.1%, all workers 3.3%Oct 2022: IT 2.2%, all workers 3.4%Nov 2022: IT 2.0%, all workers 3.4%Dec 2022: IT 1.8%, all workers 3.3%Jan 2023: IT 1.5%, all workers 3.9%Feb 2023: IT 2.2%, all workers 3.9%Mar 2023: IT 2.2%, all workers 3.6%Apr 2023: IT 2.3%, all workers 3.1%May 2023: IT 2.0%, all workers 3.4%Jun 2023: IT 2.3%, all workers 3.8%Jul 2023: IT 1.8%, all workers 3.8%Aug 2023: IT 2.1%, all workers 3.9%Sep 2023: IT 2.2%, all workers 3.6%Oct 2023: IT 2.1%, all workers 3.6%Nov 2023: IT 1.7%, all workers 3.5%Dec 2023: IT 2.3%, all workers 3.5%Jan 2024: IT 2.3%, all workers 4.1%Feb 2024: IT 3.5%, all workers 4.2%Mar 2024: IT 3.0%, all workers 3.9%Apr 2024: IT 2.8%, all workers 3.5%May 2024: IT 2.5%, all workers 3.7%Jun 2024: IT 3.7%, all workers 4.3%Jul 2024: IT 3.2%, all workers 4.5%Aug 2024: IT 3.4%, all workers 4.4%Sep 2024: IT 2.5%, all workers 3.9%Oct 2024: IT 2.6%, all workers 3.9%Nov 2024: IT 2.5%, all workers 4.0%Dec 2024: IT 2.0%, all workers 3.8%Jan 2025: IT 2.9%, all workers 4.4%Feb 2025: IT 3.3%, all workers 4.5%Mar 2025: IT 3.1%, all workers 4.2%Apr 2025: IT 3.5%, all workers 3.9%May 2025: IT 3.4%, all workers 4.0%Jun 2025: IT 2.8%, all workers 4.4%Jul 2025: IT 2.9%, all workers 4.6%Aug 2025: IT 3.0%, all workers 4.5%Sep 2025: IT 3.9%, all workers 4.3%Nov 2025: IT 4.0%, all workers 4.3%Dec 2025: IT 3.3%, all workers 4.1%Jan 2026: IT 3.6%, all workers 4.7%Feb 2026: IT 3.8%, all workers 4.7%Mar 2026: IT 3.9%, all workers 4.3%Apr 2026: IT 3.5%, all workers 4.0%May 2026: IT 3.1%, all workers 4.1%Jun 2026: IT 2.9%, all workers 4.4%Jul 2026: IT 2.8%, all workers 4.4%Aug 2026: IT 3.1%, all workers 4.3%Sep 2026: IT 3.3%, all workers 4.0%All workers 4.3%Experienced 3.9%IT 3.4%IT low 1.9%, year to Jun 2022

Not seasonally adjusted. Lines are trailing 12-month averages because the monthly IT rate swings by up to a point from one month to the next. October 2025 was not collected because of the federal shutdown, so averages spanning it use 11 months. The shaded band is the gap between the national and IT rates.

The monthly IT rate is noisy (it ranged from 2.8% to 4.0% over the past two years) because computer and mathematical occupations are a small slice of the survey. Smoothed, the picture is clear: the 12-month IT rate bottomed at 1.9% in the year to June 2022 and has climbed to 3.4%. Comparing the same January to September months, the IT rate rose 1.3 points between 2023 and 2026, while the national rate rose 0.7 points. The IT rate rose 1.9 times as much, and that is what closed the gap.

IT unemployment as a share of the national rate, January to September of each year

0%25%50%75%100%100% = IT rate equals the national rate2000, January to September: IT 2.07%, all workers 4.10%, ratio 50%20002001, January to September: IT 3.31%, all workers 4.57%, ratio 73%012002, January to September: IT 4.86%, all workers 5.86%, ratio 83%83%022003, January to September: IT 5.60%, all workers 6.14%, ratio 91%91%032004, January to September: IT 4.52%, all workers 5.67%, ratio 80%80%042005, January to September: IT 3.12%, all workers 5.20%, ratio 60%20052006, January to September: IT 2.40%, all workers 4.74%, ratio 51%062007, January to September: IT 2.08%, all workers 4.63%, ratio 45%072008, January to September: IT 2.36%, all workers 5.51%, ratio 43%082009, January to September: IT 5.47%, all workers 9.18%, ratio 60%092010, January to September: IT 5.28%, all workers 9.78%, ratio 54%20102011, January to September: IT 4.16%, all workers 9.16%, ratio 45%112012, January to September: IT 3.80%, all workers 8.26%, ratio 46%122013, January to September: IT 3.66%, all workers 7.60%, ratio 48%132014, January to September: IT 2.80%, all workers 6.40%, ratio 44%142015, January to September: IT 2.43%, all workers 5.46%, ratio 45%20152016, January to September: IT 2.42%, all workers 4.98%, ratio 49%162017, January to September: IT 2.40%, all workers 4.50%, ratio 53%172018, January to September: IT 2.11%, all workers 4.01%, ratio 53%182019, January to September: IT 1.86%, all workers 3.78%, ratio 49%192020, January to September: IT 3.62%, all workers 8.62%, ratio 42%20202021, January to September: IT 2.11%, all workers 5.83%, ratio 36%212022, January to September: IT 1.86%, all workers 3.74%, ratio 50%222023, January to September: IT 2.07%, all workers 3.67%, ratio 56%232024, January to September: IT 2.99%, all workers 4.06%, ratio 74%242025, January to September: IT 3.20%, all workers 4.31%, ratio 74%20252026, January to September: IT 3.33%, all workers 4.32%, ratio 77%77%26

Same months each year so 2026 compares like for like. Red bars mark earlier years with a ratio at or above 2026’s.

How many tech workers are unemployed?

An average of 235,000 people whose last job was in a computer or mathematical occupation were unemployed in January to September 2026, up from 224,000 in the same months of 2025 and 101,000 in 2019. No earlier year since 2000 had more for those months; the closest was 2025, at 224,000. Part of that is growth: employment in these occupations averaged 6.84 million this year, against 5.38 million in 2019. The rate, which adjusts for size, is lower than in the 2002 to 2003 and 2009 to 2010 downturns.

Year (Jan to Sep) IT rate All workers Experienced workers Gap (pts) IT unemployed IT, men IT, women
2026* 3.3% 4.3% 3.9% 1.0 235K 3.2% 3.8%
2025 3.2% 4.3% 3.9% 1.1 224K 3.1% 3.5%
2024 3.0% 4.1% 3.7% 1.1 197K 2.8% 3.6%
2023 2.1% 3.7% 3.3% 1.6 138K 2.0% 2.2%
2022 1.9% 3.7% 3.5% 1.9 115K 1.8% 2.1%
2021 2.1% 5.8% 5.5% 3.7 122K 2.0% 2.3%
2020 3.6% 8.6% 8.3% 5.0 214K 3.7% 3.3%
2019 1.9% 3.8% 3.4% 1.9 101K 1.7% 2.2%
2018 2.1% 4.0% 3.6% 1.9 111K 2.0% 2.4%
2017 2.4% 4.5% 4.1% 2.1 117K 2.4% 2.5%
2016 2.4% 5.0% 4.5% 2.6 114K 2.3% 3.0%
2015 2.4% 5.5% 4.9% 3.0 110K 2.5% 2.3%
2014 2.8% 6.4% 5.7% 3.6 121K 2.7% 2.9%
2013 3.7% 7.6% 6.8% 3.9 148K 3.5% 4.0%
2012 3.8% 8.3% 7.4% 4.5 148K 3.3% 5.0%
2011 4.2% 9.2% 8.4% 5.0 156K 3.8% 5.2%
2010 5.3% 9.8% 9.1% 4.5 198K 5.2% 5.6%
2009 5.5% 9.2% 8.6% 3.7 201K 5.3% 6.0%
2008 2.4% 5.5% 5.0% 3.2 90K 2.2% 3.0%
2007 2.1% 4.6% 4.2% 2.6 73K 2.0% 2.2%

*2026 is January to September; 2025 excludes October (not collected). All series not seasonally adjusted, averaged over January to September of each year. Gap = all workers minus IT.

Women in computer and mathematical jobs face a higher rate than men: 3.8% against 3.2% so far in 2026. Our women in tech statistics track their share of those jobs over fifteen years.

Unemployment rate by tech job

Annual averages for detailed occupations come from the same survey but are only published for experienced workers and only from 2023. Software developers, the largest group, went from 2.4% in 2023 to 3.3% in 2025. Information security analysts were the tightest market in 2023 at 0.5%, but rose to 2.1% by 2025. Computer support specialists, the help desk and desktop support roles, went from 1.9% to 3.0%. Web developers (10.6%) and web and digital interface designers had the highest 2025 rates, but each is a group of fewer than 100,000 workers, so their figures swing widely from year to year.

Occupation 2023 2024 2025 Unemployed 2025 Labor force 2025
Web developers 3.6% 2.4% 10.6% 8K 74K
Web or digital interface designers 2.9% 5.1% 7.8% 6K 75K
Software quality assurance analysts and testers 8.2% 4.5% 7.1% 5K 77K
Computer occupations, all other 1.6% 2.5% 3.4% 41K 1,222K
Software developers 2.4% 3.1% 3.3% 76K 2,330K
Computer support specialists 1.9% 2.5% 3.0% 21K 698K
Computer and information systems managers 1.7% 2.2% 2.9% 19K 666K
Computer systems analysts 1.5% 3.9% 2.6% 15K 584K
Database administrators and architects 1.2% 1.2% 2.4% 4K 152K
Computer network architects 2.2% 3.9% 2.3% 2K 98K
Network and computer systems administrators 1.5% 3.2% 2.3% 4K 158K
Computer programmers 2.9% 3.6% 2.2% 8K 389K
Information security analysts 0.5% 0.8% 2.1% 5K 266K

BLS CPS annual averages, experienced labor force (people who worked before). 2025 is an 11-month average excluding October. Sorted by 2025 rate. n/a = not published. Small occupations have wide sampling error.

Computer science graduates: the hardest-hit group

The squeeze is sharpest at the entry level. In the New York Fed’s analysis of 2024 American Community Survey data, recent graduates aged 22 to 27 with a computer engineering degree had an unemployment rate of 7.8%, the second-highest of 73 majors, and computer science graduates 7.0%, the fourth-highest. The rate for all recent graduates was 4.2%.

Unemployment rate, ages 22 to 27, 2024Anthropology: unemployment 7.9%, underemployment 55.3%, early-career median wage $45,000Anthropology7.9%Computer Engineering: unemployment 7.8%, underemployment 15.8%, early-career median wage $90,000Computer Engineering7.8%Fine Arts: unemployment 7.7%, underemployment 58.9%, early-career median wage $45,000Fine Arts7.7%Computer Science: unemployment 7.0%, underemployment 19.1%, early-career median wage $87,000Computer Science7.0%Performing Arts: unemployment 7.0%, underemployment 63.9%, early-career median wage $44,000Performing Arts7.0%Architecture: unemployment 6.8%, underemployment 25.7%, early-career median wage $60,000Architecture6.8%Art History: unemployment 6.7%, underemployment 45.3%, early-career median wage $45,000Art History6.7%Physics: unemployment 6.6%, underemployment 29.1%, early-career median wage $67,000Physics6.6%All majors: unemployment 4.2%, underemployment 39.4%, early-career median wage $58,000All majors4.2%Information Systems & Management: unemployment 6.0%, underemployment 25.6%, early-career median wage $67,000Information Systems & Management6.0%Mathematics: unemployment 5.8%, underemployment 26.2%, early-career median wage $70,000Mathematics5.8%Business Analytics: unemployment 5.0%, underemployment 28.7%, early-career median wage $72,000Business Analytics5.0%Electrical Engineering: unemployment 3.2%, underemployment 21.1%, early-career median wage $82,000Electrical Engineering3.2%

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates, outcomes by major (released February 4, 2026, based on 2024 data). © 2026 Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Content from the New York Fed subject to the Terms of Use at newyorkfed.org.

Those who do find work are less likely than most graduates to be in a job below their degree level: underemployment, meaning a job that does not usually require a bachelor’s, was 19.1% for computer science and 15.8% for computer engineering, against 39.4% for all majors. Early-career median pay was $87,000 and $90,000. The New York Fed’s monthly series for all recent graduates, which runs through June 2026, stood at 5.7% against 4.1% for all workers.

How tech compares with every other occupation

Computer and mathematical jobs have the 13th-highest unemployment rate of 22 major occupation groups from January to September 2026. Their rate is up 1.5 points on the same months of 2019, the second-largest increase of the 22 groups.

# Occupation group Jan to Sep 2026 Jan to Sep 2019 Change (pts)
1 Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 7.8% 9.7% -1.9
2 Food Preparation and Serving Related 6.8% 5.7% +1.0
3 Construction and Extraction 6.0% 5.1% +0.9
4 Transportation and Material Moving 5.8% 4.9% +0.9
5 Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance 5.7% 5.1% +0.5
6 Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 5.6% 3.9% +1.6
7 Personal Care and Service 5.0% 4.0% +1.0
8 Sales and Related 4.3% 4.0% +0.3
9 Healthcare Support 4.3% 3.0% +1.2
10 Production 3.9% 3.9% +0.0
11 Office and Administrative Support 3.8% 3.8% +0.1
12 Education, Training, and Library 3.5% 3.2% +0.2
13 Computer and Mathematical 3.3% 1.9% +1.5
14 Protective Service 3.2% 2.9% +0.3
15 Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 3.0% 2.9% +0.2
16 Business and Financial Operations 2.8% 2.3% +0.5
17 Life, Physical, and Social Science 2.7% 1.8% +1.0
18 Management 2.3% 1.7% +0.6
19 Community and Social Services 2.0% 2.0% -0.0
20 Architecture and Engineering 1.9% 1.7% +0.2
21 Healthcare Practitioner and Technical 1.6% 1.5% +0.1
22 Legal 1.4% 1.4% -0.1

Our number vs CompTIA’s

CompTIA publishes a monthly tech unemployment figure built from the same BLS survey but with its own definition of tech occupations; it counts more than seven million people employed in them, against 6.8 million in the BLS computer and mathematical group. For September 2026 its analysis of BLS data put tech unemployment at 3.3% against a national rate of 4.2%. Our figure uses the BLS’s own published series for computer and mathematical occupations, so anyone can check it. Both point the same way. The rise in tech joblessness also lines up with the fall in openings shown in our tech job market analysis of JOLTS data and the jump in layoffs in our WARN notice tracker of tech layoffs.

What this means for MSPs

Hiring is easier at the junior end. About 235,000 people who last worked in computer and mathematical jobs were unemployed in an average month this year, and recent computer engineering and computer science graduates face rates of 7.8% and 7.0%. Help desk and support openings are likely to draw more applicants than they did in 2022 or 2023, when the IT rate sat near 2%. Hiring from abroad has become costlier, as our analysis of the skilled-worker visa lottery shows.

Security talent remains tighter. Information security analysts had a 2.1% rate in 2025, below the 3.3% average for all computer and mathematical occupations that year, even after rising from 0.5% in 2023. That fits the BLS projections covered in our IT and cybersecurity jobs outlook. Retention money is better spent on experienced security staff than on roles where the applicant pool has grown.

Watch the 12-month line, not single months. A one-month jump of half a point is within normal survey noise for this group. The trailing average has moved from 1.9% to 3.4% since June 2022, and that trend is the signal worth planning around.

Frequently asked questions

What is the IT unemployment rate right now?

The unemployment rate for computer and mathematical occupations was 3.3% in September 2026, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey data (not seasonally adjusted). The comparable national rate was 4.0%, or 4.2% seasonally adjusted. Averaged over the 12 months to September 2026, the IT rate was 3.4%.

Is tech unemployment higher than the national rate?

No. The IT rate has been below the national rate in every month since April 2003. But the gap has shrunk: from January to September 2026 the IT rate averaged 3.33% against 4.32% for all workers, a gap of 1.0 points, the narrowest for those months since 2003.

How many tech workers are unemployed?

An average of 235,000 people whose last job was in a computer or mathematical occupation were unemployed from January to September 2026, the highest for those months in the series that starts in 2000 and 2.3 times the 101,000 of 2019. The field also employs more people than it did then.

What is the unemployment rate for software developers?

3.3% in 2025, up from 2.4% in 2023, based on BLS annual averages for experienced workers. About 76,000 software developers were unemployed in 2025.

What is the unemployment rate for computer science graduates?

The New York Fed puts unemployment for recent computer science graduates (ages 22 to 27) at 7.0% and computer engineering at 7.8% in 2024, against 4.2% for all majors. Computer engineering has the second-highest rate and computer science the fourth-highest of 73 majors.

Which occupations have the highest unemployment rate?

From January to September 2026, farming, fishing, and forestry occupations had the highest rate (7.8%), followed by food preparation and serving related (6.8%) and construction and extraction (6.0%). Computer and mathematical occupations had the 13th-highest rate of 22 major groups, at 3.3%.

Download the data. it-unemployment-rate-bls-cps-2000-2026.csv (CSV). Licensed under CC BY 4.0: free to reuse with attribution to The Uptime Report.

Methodology

Source. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, LN database flat files, retrieved October 15, 2026, with data through September 2026. IT unemployment rate = series LNU04034021, unemployment rate for computer and mathematical occupations (not seasonally adjusted). National rate = LNU04000000 (not seasonally adjusted) and LNS14000000 (seasonally adjusted, cited for the headline rate only). Unemployed and employed levels: LNU03034021 and LNU02032455.

Definitions. “IT” here means the BLS major group computer and mathematical occupations (2018 Census codes 1005 to 1240): software developers, analysts, programmers, support specialists, administrators, architects, security analysts, data scientists, and math occupations such as actuaries and statisticians. Unemployed people are classified by the occupation of their last job. The experienced-worker rate counts only unemployed people with previous work (series LNU03009118 plus LNU03009121) over employed plus those unemployed.

Comparisons. Because the occupation series are not seasonally adjusted, we compare them with the unadjusted national rate and average January to September in every year. Twelve-month averages smooth sampling noise. October 2025 was not collected because of the federal shutdown; averages that span it use 11 months, and BLS 2025 annual figures are 11-month averages. Detailed occupation rates are BLS annual averages (2023, 2024, 2025). Occupation codes changed in 2020 (2018 Census classification), a small break in the monthly series.

Recent graduates. New York Fed figures are its own estimates from the 2024 American Community Survey (via IPUMS) for people aged 22 to 27 with a bachelor’s degree or higher, not enrolled in school. They are shown as published and are not included in our CSV.

Cross-checks. Our 2025 average of the monthly IT series (3.3%, about 229,000 unemployed) matches BLS annual table 25 (3.3%, 228,000). CompTIA’s separate analysis, with its own occupation list, also gave 3.3% for September 2026.

Limitations. CPS occupation estimates have sampling error, especially for small occupations and single months. The survey counts people, not jobs, and by last occupation, so a laid-off developer who takes a retail job counts as employed in retail.

Cite as:The Uptime Report. "IT Unemployment Rate 2026: Tech Joblessness Is Still Below the National Rate, but the Gap Is the Narrowest Since 2003." October 2026. https://theuptimereport.com/it-unemployment-rate/

References

  1. BLS, Unemployment rate, computer and mathematical occupations (LNU04034021). Accessed October 2026.
  2. BLS, Unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted (LNU04000000) and seasonally adjusted (LNS14000000). Accessed October 2026.
  3. BLS, Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, LN database files. Accessed October 2026.
  4. BLS, CPS annual averages table 25, Unemployed persons by occupation and sex. Accessed October 2026.
  5. BLS, CPS tables (annual averages, current and archived). Accessed October 2026.
  6. Federal Reserve Bank of New York, The Labor Market for Recent College Graduates. Accessed October 2026.
  7. CompTIA, “Employer demand for tech talent reaches three-year high, CompTIA analysis finds,” October 2, 2026. Accessed October 2026.

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