In spite of recent news of tech layoffs and hiring freezes, IT staffing is still going strong. Per CNBC, some recruiters are seeing layoffs as more of an outlier. And according to The Wall Street Journal, the layoffs and freezes that are in place can help to alleviate the shortage of talent in this historically tight IT hiring market.

TechServe Alliance in May reported strong demand for tech talent, yet once again, due to the tight labor market, IT job growth was flat month over month, and was up just 0.64% year over year.

CompTIA reported that job postings for tech positions through May were up 52% over the same period last year, and tech occupation unemployment of 2.1% compared to overall national unemployment of 3.6%. And Dice reported strong tech hiring in consulting, finance, healthcare, manufacturing and retail.

In the SIA | Bullhorn Staffing Indicator for the week ended June 25, the Professional Staffing Index (of which IT is a part) was up 10% year over year.

And now looking back a bit, annual reports have by this time allowed us to get a good glimpse of IT staffing performance in 2021. In our IT Staffing Gross Margin Trends: 2022 Update, which tracks gross margins at 11 publicly traded IT staffing companies back to 2004, we share that three companies set period highs in gross margin in 2021. Average margin among the tracked group of companies was 22.5% in 2021, up from 21.3% in 2020 and the highest since 2015. The increase between 2020 and 2021 was the highest in all years we have tracked such data.

Based on data found in our most recent SIBC report, the $25.75 spread between bill rate and pay rate in 2021 was the highest since we started tracking in 2015, aided by both a lower median pay rate (-6% year over year) and a higher median bill rate (+3%).

2021 was certainly an exceptional year for IT staffing. While 2022 has brought headwinds of high inflation, rising interest rates and supply chain disruptions, among others, digital transformation projects and other IT initiatives are for the most part staying on track as we begin the second half of 2022.

To get a detailed glimpse on IT revenue, hours billed and pay rate by skill and occupation — as well as to see trends with regard to VMS/MSP, SOW engagements and client market demand — participate in our 2022 IT Staffing & Solutions Benchmarking Survey. The up-to-date survey looks at the just-ended first half 2022 period.

And as usual, to see how IT staffing growth is progressing throughout the year, be sure to participate in our July Pulse.

For more info on these surveys, please visit our Surveys page.