The number of U.S. information technology jobs increased by 23,000 in February to an all-time high of more than 4.1 million jobs, according to a monthly index of IT jobs developed by the TechServe Alliance. January’s record surpasses the previous high set in September 2008 when IT employment reached 4,088,600.

On an annual basis, IT jobs were up 2.5 percent in 2011, compared with a growth rate of 1.5 percent in 2010. These latest numbers are based on re-benchmarked data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics this month.

“After reaching an all-time high in January, February’s accelerating rate of growth in IT employment is further confirmation of our earlier projections that demand for IT professionals would remain strong for the foreseeable future,” said Mark Roberts, CEO of TechServe Alliance. “Based on the data and the anecdotal reports of my member companies, there is clearly ‘war for talent’ underway in the high-demand IT skill sets. Companies that fail to adjust to this changing landscape will find it increasingly difficult to meet their IT staffing needs.”

TechServe Alliance is a collaboration of IT staffing firms, solutions firms, clients, consultants and suppliers dedicated to advancing excellence and ethics within the IT services industry.