American CIOs continue to turn to U.S.-based outsourcers for some of their I.T. needs. Otherwise, why would employment within the I.T. services sector continue to show healthy gains, far outpacing overall employment growth?
Employment among companies providing computer systems design and related services—that’s what the government calls I.T. services firms—rose 4.9 percent in the past year, according to a report issued Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I.T. services firms added 5,800 jobs last month, bringing its payrolls to 1,309,400, up from 1,247,900 in February 2006. Figures for January and February 2007 are preliminary.
The I.T. services sector is among the strongest industries in the U.S. economy. By comparison, overall employment in the U.S. this past year inched ahead a mere 1.5 percent.