Information Technology Workers

Workers who design, develop, manage, maintain, and provide support to those who use computers and other related information technologies are information technology (IT) workers. This category includes workers in a variety of occupations and industries who perform a wide array of tasks, such as software developers, Web and game designers, technical support workers, and database analysts. Employment in the sector is expanding, and some of the fastest-growing jobs in the United States are IT-related. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 3,293,030 U.S. workers in IT jobs in 2011. IT workers have been studied by a range of scholars, as they appear to be the quintessential knowledge workers, poised to thrive in a new economy that values knowledge and innovation. The field of IT is relatively new, dating from the birth of computers in the years immediately following World War II. The industry experienced exponential growth after that time, with the spread of computers into university, government, and business settings; and by the 1980s, computers had spread to people's homes. A period of rapid growth in the 1990s, however, was followed by a crash in the early 2000s that brought massive layoffs in large IT firms and the closing of many smaller firms. Although IT employment is spread across the economy, many IT workers are now employed in small and medium-sized firms, and others are self-employed or engage in contract work. The rapidly changing nature of the industry, the volatility of the sector over the past decade, and the high failure rate among small firms means that work in this sector is often changeable and insecure. Nevertheless, on average, it also is well-paid, is challenging, and requires skill.

The field has long been male dominated, but there have been women actively involved in the IT sector since the birth of computing. As the field grew steadily through the latter half of the 20th century, women's participation increased apace, although they were over-represented in the support and administration side of the sector, rather than the technical side. During the 1990s, women's involvement in IT employment (and training programs) decreased; most recently, women's participation is on the rise. Nevertheless, studies indicate that work environments in the field often have a masculine culture that highlights sports, competition, joking, gaming, toughness, and working long hours. Women who succeed in this environment learn to adapt to the culture and “grow a thick skin,” although some find that it is hard to maintain a work-family balance. The IT field remains sex segregated, with women over-represented in a few less attractive jobs (e.g., as database analysts and systems testing technicians) that pay less and have higher rates of unemployment than more male-dominated IT jobs.