Employment Picture Improves In Technology But Jobs Still Disappear


The loss of almost 34,000 technology jobs in the second quarter isn’t exactly good news. But it represents a big improvement from the first three months of the year and offers a sign of greater stability in the technology business.

Challenger Gray & Christmas reported Monday that the 33,891 U.S. technology jobs lost during the second quarter represented a 60 percent improvement from the first quarter, when 84,217 positions were cut.

They were about equal to the cuts made during the second quarter of 2008.

While the better performance suggests the sharp slide in the technology market has moderated, it continues to show a market place in decline and leaves open the possibility of a second dip in technology sales.

The computer sector saw the greatest decline in the period while telecom and electronics saw the strongest rebound. The telecom industry saw just 1,876 job cuts compared with 18,972 in the first quarter.

Telecom and electronics appear to be benefiting from business strength in wireless markets as Americans continue buying cellular phones and competition to outdo the iPhone heats up.