Among the explanations for the stubbornly high U.S. unemployment rate, factors such as housing troubles and extended unemployment benefits have played a leading role. Increasingly, though, economists and job seekers are identifying another problem: Employers are being pickier, or not trying as hard as they usually do to fill the openings they have.

As IT roles move up the value chain, companies like Johnson & Johnson, State Street, W.W. Grainger, General Mills and Xerox are looking to hire smart, tech-savvy, collaborative business professionals for 20- or 30-year multifaceted careers, not for IT jobs.

The volatile job market of the past few years has hurt the pay scale for many IT professionals, but there's one IT certification that has remained in high demand through it all -- security.

Hiring for IT jobs continues on the upswing in the U.S. and Canada as recessionary gloom gives way to cautious optimism.

The House of Representatives approved extended jobless benefits for 2.5 million unemployed Americans, ending a long partisan battle.