U.S. information technology sector employment expanded by an estimated 9,000 new jobs in March, according to CompTIA, the leading technology industry association.

Four of the five tech employment categories added jobs, led by IT services and custom software. CompTIA's analysis of today's Bureau of Labor Statistics "Employment Situation" report (#JobsReport) reveals the software and services category increased by an estimated 5,000 positions last month.

March employment gains were also recorded in data processing, hosting and related services (+ 2,900); computer and electronics manufacturing (+ 2,800); and other information services, including search portals (+ 300).

Employment in telecommunications declined by 2,000 jobs in March.

Overall, the U.S. economy added 103,000 nonfarm payroll jobs last month, the fewest in six months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

IT occupations across the economy declined by about 50,000 jobs in March. There tends to be a higher degree of variance with monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics data at the occupation level, so these figures should be viewed as directional. 

Employer job postings for IT occupations increased in March. Software and applications developers, computer systems engineers and architects and computer systems analysts were the top three in-demand tech occupations employers were seeking last month.