A new study by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) apparently* indicates that US employers added 213,639 IT jobs between the first quarter of 2003 and the first quarter this year. However, the same report also indicates that hiring managers don’t plan to add nearly as many IT jobs this year.
Overall, the number of IT workers rose 2 percent this year to 10.5 million, according to ITAA. A News.com story has more details. Here’s a bit:

ITAA said employers appear to be taking an increasingly cautious approach to hiring in light of factors including general economic conditions, the climbing cost of employee benefits and the economic efficiencies of sending work to lower-cost nations, frequently called offshoring.
The report comes amid conflicting information about the job scene for technology professionals. Unemployment rates have dropped for tech workers, but so have the numbers of people employed in tech occupations–suggesting that some workers may have left the field, possibly discouraged by grim forecasts or a lack of current jobs.
A monthly survey, though, has found that confidence among IT workers in the job market has been growing gradually.

* I say “apparently” only because I haven’t been able to get my hands on a copy of the free report yet. ITAA’s website lists the report as available for order, but requires registration. I’ve registered, but haven’t gotten any notice about getting the report….
Update: (Sept 9) — Just got the report via e-mail. May post more after I’ve perused it.