IT Job Market Now Reacting to Recession by Dropping 3.5 Percent

PHILADELPHIA — February 3, 2009 — Beyond.com, Inc., the world’s largest network of niche career communities, revealed several significant job trends with the release of its Fourth Quarter 2008 Career Trend Analysis and Industry Outlook Reports, which analyze and report employment trends across more than 25 industries. The data offers a unique comparison to the overall employment marketplace due to the expansive Beyond.com Network of thousands of top-tier industry and local web sites.

The top three industries for online job postings in Q4 2008 included Healthcare & Medical (16.1 percent), Sales & Sales Management (13.4 percent) and Clerical & Administrative (11.8 percent). Information Technology was eliminated from the top three industry positions for the first time since Beyond.com published the report in 2005, signifying that the deepening recession is finally beginning to take a toll on the IT job market.

While Information Technology remained strong at the beginning of 2008, it appears as though the bubble may have burst once again for the technology sector. The IT industry dropped to the #4 position after experiencing the largest percentage decrease in jobs over the previous quarter (-3.5 percent) and over the past year (-4.7 percent). As the year progressed and the economy weakened, IT spending and development slowed along with the funding of new technology companies, affecting the demand for IT jobs.

With more than half of the reported industries experiencing a decline in Q4 2008, one industry that proved to be resilient in times of economic uncertainty was Sales & Sales Management. The sales industry experienced a 1.7 percent increase in jobs in Q4 2008, achieving the #2 position for online job postings with 13.4 percent of all jobs posted to the Beyond.com Network. With more than 18,000 jobs posted by employers on SalesJobs.net, one of Beyond.com’s leading career communities, this indicates that qualified sales professionals are likely to find a job, even in the down economy.

“When employers believe the economy is close to or has hit rock bottom, their first reaction is to kick revenue generation into high gear to position the company for future growth,” says Jim John, COO of Beyond.com, Inc. “With a tremendous amount of qualified talent currently looking for work, it appears that employers are taking advantage of the opportunity to acquire key sales professionals that have the ability to make a strong, positive impact on the business and offer low risk, high reward to the company.”

The complete Career Trend Analysis Report and Industry Outlook Reports are available by visiting http://www.beyond.com/Media/QuarterlyReports.asp.


About Beyond.com, Inc.
Beyond.com is the world’s largest network of niche career communities, providing access to thousands of top-tier industry and local web sites. Our career search services and networking tools enable job seekers and employers to create targeted connections across thousands of online communities. We deliver a one-of-a-kind recruitment solution that provides the targeted exposure of a specialized job board, reinforced by the breadth and volume of a larger career network. Beyond.com was named to Inc. Magazine’s prestigious ‘Inc. 500’ list and is a Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. (NYSE: SFE) partner company. www.Beyond.com. Employers interested in taking advantage of a free job posting, visit: http://www.Beyond.com/freejobposting.