The IT industry workforce is a complex ecosystem. Contrary to popular belief, IT employees are not limited to to the large technology firms or "24/7 in-front-of-a-computer-screen" workdays. This growing field of diversely talented professionals, operates in every industry of the economy

1. The IT industry workforce is a complex ecosystem. Contrary to popular belief,
IT employees are not limited to the large technology firms or “24/7
in-front-of-a-computer-screen” workdays. This growing field of diversely
talented professionals, operates in every industry of the economy.
As dissected by CompTIA’s IT Industry Outlook 2013
The Anatomy of the
IT Industry Workforce
IT Industry Employment
• In 2012, an estimated 4.6 million workers were employed in the U.S. IT industry
• These employees are divided among 168k U.S. employer firms;4.2 million are employed by these firms; 421k are self-employed
• The most concentrated sectors for IT industry employment is IT services (1.5 million employed) and telecom/info services
(1.5 million employed)
• Sixty percent of workers in the IT industry are employed by large firms (500+ workers)
IT Occupation Employment
There are approximately 4.2 million workers employed in
IT occupations non-IT industries. There are several
technology-intense peripheral occupations in
non-IT industries that require significant levels
of technological expertise.
Skills Gap
Over the past two years, the IT industry skills gap has
continued to be perceived as a growing issue. At the same
time, close to half of IT executives (43%) feel that the skills
gap in the IT industry is equal to that of other industries.
4.6million workers in IT industry
4.16million IT workers are employed by firms
4.16million IT workers are employed by firms
421kIT workers
are self employed
4.2million IT workers are
employed in core IT occupations
• Of these occupations, computer support
specialists, software/applications developers
and computer systems analysts are the most
prevalent core IT jobs (632k; 539k; 487k
workers each, respectively)
Computer support
specialists
PERIPHERAL NON-IT INDUSTRY
TECH JOBS
BIGGEST GROWTH IN
NON-IT INDUSTRY TECH JOBSSoftware/applications
developers
Computer systems
analysts
• From 2010-2020, the three biggest increases in number of jobs per occupation will occur in
Software/Systems software developers (32%), database administrators (31%) and network
and computer systems administrators/software and applications developers, (28%)
• The top three average annual salaries are for the following occupations:
• Computer and Information Systems Managers ($125k)
• Computer and Information Research Scientists ($103k)
• Computer Hardware Engineers ($101k)
• There are 790k U.S. workers in peripheral IT positions
32%Software/systems
software developers
31%Database administrators
28%System
administrator/software
and application
developers
View additional CompTIA business research at
http://www.comptia.org/research/businessandeconomics.aspx
CompTIA Research and Market Intelligence provides timely, relevant data and insights for the IT industry. CompTIA has a library of over 100 research reports and whitepapers, with new material published
each month. Using rigorous research techniques, CompTIA collects data from tens of thousands of end-users and IT companies on a wide range of issues covering tech trends, channel dynamics and the
IT workforce. CompTIA members get this research as part of their member benefits. Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Economic Census.
F
ast forward to 2020
2
4
6
8
10
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
National unemployment rate
in December 2012 was 7.6%
IT occupation unemployment
rate in December 2012 was 3.8%
IT Unemployment
In 2012, the national unemployment rate for IT occupations, including
computer and mathematical categories, was less than half of the national
average for unemployment. The IT industry also
continued to add a new number of jobs, leaving
us hopeful for continued future growth.
• In 2012, the computer and mathematical occupation category added 308,000 new jobs.42%IT managers believe
there is a skills gap
According to the research
consultancy IDC, the global IT
market reached $3.6 trillion in
2012 - almost $1 trillion in the U.S.
alone. The U.S. IT industry is
segmented into several
categories with workers spread
across various sectors and firm
sizes – from multinational
corporations to sole
proprietorships.