"The 2025 U.S. Tech Job Market: Key Trends, Regional Growth, and In-Demand Skills Shaping the Future"
A clear understanding of the current U.S. technology employment landscape is essential for both organizations seeking to attract top-tier talent and professionals navigating their career progression. Recent findings from Dice’s 2025 Tech Salary Report and Monthly Candidate Metrics provide valuable insight into the prevailing trends, regional growth areas, and emerging opportunities shaping today’s technology sector.
A Strong and Expanding Technology Market
The U.S. technology sector continues to demonstrate significant momentum:
Substantial Growth in Job Postings: More than 7 million technology job postings have been recorded, representing a 33% month-over-month increase and a 16% rise year-over-year.
Low Unemployment Rate: The technology unemployment rate remains notably low at 2.9%, well below the national average of 4%.
Key Regional Growth Areas
Several states and metropolitan regions are emerging as prominent technology employment hubs.
Leading States
Illinois: 54% month-over-month growth in technology job postings.
California: 52% increase, reinforcing its long-standing position as a technology leader.
Georgia: 30% growth, reflecting its expanding technology ecosystem.
Top Metropolitan Areas
San Jose Metro: 87% month-over-month growth, the highest among major markets.
San Francisco Metro: 84% increase, reaffirming its continued prominence.
Chicago Metro: 56% growth, underscoring its rapidly developing technology sector.
High-Demand Roles and Core Skill Sets
Demand for specialized expertise remains strong across the industry.
In-Demand Positions
Software Engineers remain consistently sought after.
Electrical Engineers are experiencing increased demand.
Business Analysts continue to play a vital role in strategic planning and execution.
Certain specialized roles have seen particularly sharp growth. Substation Electrical Engineer postings have increased by 770%, while Azure DevOps Engineers and Electrical Power Engineers have seen growth of 455% and 408%, respectively.
Critical Skills
Artificial Intelligence (AI): 26% of technology job postings now require AI expertise, reflecting a 98% year-over-year increase.
Technical Proficiencies: Demand for computer-aided design skills has grown by 155%, and proficiency in business software has increased by 133%.
Soft Skills: Attributes such as trustworthiness have risen by 253% year-over-year, operational efficiency by 232%, and scalability design by 197%.
Candidate Sentiment and Compensation Trends
Understanding workforce sentiment provides important context for hiring and retention strategies.
Active Job Seekers: In 2025, 47% of technology professionals report actively seeking new opportunities, a significant increase from 29% the previous year.
Compensation Satisfaction: Only 41% of professionals indicate satisfaction with their current compensation, while 59% believe they are undercompensated relative to industry peers.
Salary Benchmarks: The average technology salary reached $112,521 in 2024, with an average daily rate of $680. Compensation levels vary based on expertise, geographic location, experience, and industry sector.
AI Salary Premium: Professionals with AI and machine learning expertise command an average salary premium of 17.7% compared to peers without these skills.
Key Takeaways for Employers and Professionals
For employers, offering competitive compensation packages, investing in professional development, and prioritizing high-demand skill sets—particularly in AI and advanced technical domains—are essential to attracting and retaining top talent.
For technology professionals, continuously expanding expertise, especially in artificial intelligence and machine learning, can significantly enhance career mobility and earning potential. Evaluating opportunities holistically—considering compensation, growth prospects, and organizational culture—remains equally important.
(Source: RED Global)
