The number of roles in the IT industry in the US increased during February 2011, new figures show.

Data from TechServe Alliance reveal the country witnessed a climb in such positions of more than 3,000 from January.

It is the 14th monthly climb in IT jobs in the US in a row and the organization estimates the number of employment opportunities in the sector stood at 3,998,500 by the end of February.

Year-on-year, the number of posts in the industry has risen by 4.3 per cent, or 180,000 places, with almost four million people now working in the field again.

Commenting on the statistics, chief executive of TechServe Alliance Mark Roberts said: "The strength in demand for highly skilled IT professionals is unmistakable."

However, he added the recovering jobs market has led to skills shortages in some areas.

TechServe alliance is a group of IT services firms, consultants, suppliers and clients and is focused on improving "excellence and ethics" within the sector.

Posted by Kate Griffin