The number of IT jobs in the US rose 0.2 percent in October compared to September, reversing a nine-month downward trend, the TechServe Alliance reported. IT jobs totaled 4.70 million.

Meanwhile, the number of US engineering jobs rose by 0.1 percent in October from the previous month to approximately 2.5 million jobs, according to the TechServe Alliance.

“After nine consecutive months of a downward trend in the rate of growth in IT employment, I am pleased to see October's uptick,” said TechServe Alliance CEO Mark Roberts. “While too early to tell whether this is a sustainable trend, the data is certainly consistent with near universal feedback from my member companies who report strong demand and a shortage of available talent in many skill sets.”

Roberts continued: “While the employment picture on the engineering side remains more mixed with a declining rate of growth in October, I am optimistic that both IT and engineering employment will improve as we gain greater clarity around the geopolitical and macroeconomic forces that had been contributing to a general sense of uncertainty.”

The TechServe Alliance is a trade association of the IT and engineering staffing and solutions industry.