The number of engineering jobs in the US edged up 0.20% in November compared to October, an increase of 5,500 jobs, according to an analysis by the TechServe Alliance, a trade association representing the IT and engineering staffing and solutions industry. 

On a year-over-year basis, the number of engineering jobs increased 3.56% in November, representing 94,400 jobs, for a total of 2.75 million engineering workers.

However, IT jobs declined 0.12% in November from October. On a year-over-year basis, the number of IT jobs was down 0.35%, or 18,900 jobs, for a total of approximately 5.39 million jobs in November.

“While layoffs among some high-profile tech companies have been in the news, demand for talent for technology professionals overall remains very strong,” said TechServe Alliance CEO Mark Roberts. “When one sector of the economy reduces its workforce, high-demand skill sets are redeployed to other industries.”

Roberts noted that with an IT unemployment rate of just 2.3% as of the end of the third quarter, most qualified candidates continue to receive multiple job offers with escalating wage growth.

“It remains a candidates’ market,” Roberts said.