US IT employment saw a small bump in June, adding some 8,400 jobs, according to the latest CompTIA IT Employment Tracker, released Friday. According to a press release, the gains in IT paralleled gains seen across the US economy in the same time frame.

In the first half of 2017, the US IT sector added nearly 62,000 jobs overall, according to the report. In June, IT job growth reportedly beat out gains in manufacturing, retail, and transportation. However, it still lagged behind jobs added in healthcare, construction, food services, and accommodation.

The growth seems at odds with other news that major tech companies are laying off a large number of workers. Microsoft is cutting some 3,000 jobs, for instance, and companies like Intel, IBM, HP and others have announced layoff plans.

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“In the dynamic tech sector, it’s not uncommon for companies to be in hiring mode, while also shedding workers.” Tim Herbert, senior vice president of research and market intelligence for CompTIA, said in a press release. “Tech companies pursuing new opportunities in cloud, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, or big data, for example, may shift resources to these areas, while scaling back in legacy product lines.”

IT jobs, and those in software services and computer system design led job growth with 4,900 jobs, the tracker said. Service portal jobs, computer and electronics manufacturing, and data processing also saw gains, among other jobs. Telecom, however, dropped 700 jobs.

It’s important to note that these jobs numbers are for IT jobs in the IT sector. When it comes to IT jobs added in all the other sectors a net gain of 117,000 jobs was recorded in June. In 2017, so far, net IT occupation jobs are still in the red, the email said.

In terms of desirable jobs in tech, cybersecurity professionals and data scientists are in high demand. And, despite many of the top companies to work for being in tech, 83% of CIOs struggle to find tech talent, according to a recent TechRepublic CIO Jury.

Those looking to start a career in IT should take a look at this list of the 10 best tech jobs with the highest pay for some good options in the field.

The 3 big takeaways for TechRepublic readers

  1. The US IT sector added some 8,400 jobs in June, following an upward trend in the US economy as a whole. CompTIA found.
  2. IT jobs added in other sectors experienced a net gain of 117,000 jobs in June, showing evidence of a growing demand for tech workers.
  3. Cybersecurity professionals and data scientists are some of the many positions in tech that CIOs are struggling to fill.