Employer job postings for tech positions rose by 76,546 month over month in March to a total of 316,000 — representing the highest level of employer hiring activity in seven months, CompTIA reported.

“As a forward-looking indicator, the rebound in employer tech job postings is a notable positive,” said Tim Herbert, chief research officer at CompTIA. “While caution is in order given the state of uncertainty, the data suggests segments of employers may be stepping back into the tech talent market.”

CompTIA also found that tech industry employment — which includes all workers employed by technology companies — fell by an estimated 839 jobs in March. However, technology employment at companies of all types rose by 197,000 jobs, according to CompTIA’s estimate of data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday.

Markets across the country saw increases in employer job postings for tech positions, led by New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina. The jump in hiring activity also extended to cities such as Arlington, Virginia; Huntsville, Alabama; and Plano, Texas. Among states, California, Virginia, Texas and Maryland recorded the largest month-over-month increases in tech jobs postings.

Positions for software developers and engineers accounted for the largest share of job postings in March, but employers are also in the market for IT support specialists, systems engineers and analysts, IT project managers and cybersecurity analysts and engineers.