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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →IT-related work is projected to grow overall, but not every technology job or related industry is on the same path. The latest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projections estimate 7.3% growth in computer and mathematical occupations from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth in total U.S. employment. Those are national, ten-year projections—not a count of jobs actually added during calendar 2026.
Are IT jobs growing or declining in 2026?
The best current answer is that broad technology occupations are projected to grow, while employment trends vary by occupation and industry. The BLS’s 2025–35 projections, released August 27, 2026, put computer and mathematical occupations fifth among the 22 major occupational groups for projected growth. The estimates describe expected change over a decade, not measured hiring or job losses in 2026. The BLS develops these projections for the nation as a whole, not for a specific state, city, employer, or hiring quarter. See the BLS 2025–35 Employment Projections summary and the program’s scope.
| Measure | BLS 2025–35 projection | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Total U.S. employment | 3.5% growth; 5.9 million additional jobs | All occupations nationally |
| Computer and mathematical occupations | 7.3% growth | A broad occupational group; the current summary does not give its projected job-count change in the cited figures |
| Computing infrastructure providers, data processing, web hosting, and related services | 25.1% growth; 120,400 additional jobs | An industry grouping, not an occupation |
Occupation and industry figures describe different things. A programmer is an occupation; a data-hosting company belongs to an industry. They should not be treated as interchangeable counts of “IT jobs.”
Which IT jobs are growing fastest?
Among the selected occupation-level estimates in the current BLS summary, data scientists and computer and information research scientists have particularly strong projected growth for 2025–35. The BLS links demand for these roles to developing, improving, and using digital and AI technologies.
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| Occupation | Projected growth, 2025–35 | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Data scientists | 34.6% | Selected occupation-level estimate in the current BLS summary |
| Computer and information research scientists | 21.8% | Selected occupation-level estimate in the current BLS summary |
These are percentage growth rates, not rankings by number of new jobs. A fast-growing occupation with a smaller employment base can add fewer workers than a more common occupation growing at a slower rate. The cited current summary provides these selected rates but does not provide projected job counts for these occupations.
Why do some articles give different IT job growth numbers?
BLS updates its projections by period. Figures from its 2024–34 analysis are a prior vintage, not the current 2025–35 rates. For example, that earlier analysis projected 33.5% growth for data scientists, 28.5% for information security analysts, and 15.8% for software developers from 2024 to 2034. Those numbers can provide historical context, but they should not be labeled as the latest rates. The 2024–34 analysis also projected 19.7% growth for computer and information research scientists. Read the BLS analysis of AI, information technology, and employment for 2024–34.
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The current 2025–35 summary contains selected occupation estimates; BLS said detailed information would appear in a separate Monthly Labor Review article later in 2026. Until then, avoid presenting older detailed figures as if they were newly updated.
Can IT jobs decline while technology employment grows?
Yes. A growing occupational group can include individual jobs with weaker prospects, and changes in a related industry do not automatically mean every role in that industry grows. The current BLS summary projects decline for office and administrative support occupations as a whole: 4.0%, or 752,100 fewer jobs, from 2025 to 2035. This is not an IT occupation group. BLS says automation tools, including AI-powered tools, are likely to reduce demand for several occupations in that broad group; it does not identify AI as the sole cause of every projected decline.
For a career decision, distinguish the specific occupation from the broader group, and distinguish an occupation’s outlook from the industry in which someone might work. The projections do not establish that a particular employer will hire, cut staff, or pay a given wage.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does AI mean for IT employment?
The BLS describes AI as a contributor to demand in some technology areas, including computer and mathematical work and computing infrastructure, as organizations develop and use digital tools and AI solutions. It also describes productivity effects that may limit labor demand in some other occupational groups. The direction therefore differs by work performed: AI adoption is not, by itself, evidence that all IT jobs will grow or that all will disappear.
Long-term projections are uncertain even when reported with precise percentages. The BLS advises readers to focus on the direction and relative size of projected changes rather than treating exact values as certain outcomes. These estimates are useful for understanding broad national trends, not for guaranteeing an individual job outcome.
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