Based on their analysis of U.S. Labor Data, the IEEE-USA says that unemployment for software engineers fell to 2.2 percent in the first quarter of 2013, down from 2.8 percent in 2012. Approximately 1.1 million software developers had jobs during the period.
However, electrical engineers saw a sudden, sharp spike during the first quarter, climbing to 6.5 percent. Only 295,000 electrical engineers had jobs during the first three months of the year, compared to 335,000 at the end of 2012. “Seasonal fluctuations are normal, but the first quarter unemployment spike is alarming,” said the IEEE-USA’s Keith Grzelak.