IT employment in the US ticked down slightly in February from January, the TechServe Alliance announced. The number of IT jobs in the US edged down to about 5.35 million jobs, according to the group, which serves as the national trade association of the IT and engineering staffing and solutions industry.

However, on a year-over-year basis, IT employment was still up by 0.27% in February with 14,300 more IT workers than the previous year.

“After limping into January with anemic growth, IT employment actually retreated in February, declining by 3,100 jobs,” said TechServe Alliance CEO Mark Roberts. “While those who are adept at sourcing and recruiting scarce talent will continue to fare well, we are leaving significant opportunities for growth on the table due to the limited domestic talent supply and wrong-headed immigration policies.”

The TechServe Alliance also measures engineering employment, which edged up by 0.17% in February from January. Engineering employment rose 2.51% on a year-over-year basis, an increase of 64,700 engineering workers.