Total employment for information technology professionals worsened in August, with more than 40,000 I.T.-related jobs lost during the month, according to Janco Associates Inc., a management consulting firm that focuses on information technology. Total I.T. employment has increased a mere 0.5% over the past 12 months, Janco says.

Janco based its report on data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. “We have seen a significant softening in employment as companies have put the brakes on hiring,” says Victor Janulaitis , CEO of Janco. “When the stock market fell over 500 points, many chief information officers were told to hold off any hiring and capital expenditures that were not absolutely necessary.”

Among I.T. sectors tracked by Janco, telecommunications absorbed the most job losses, 48,200. Data processing lost 400 jobs. Information services added 1,000 jobs, and computer design and related services added 7,100.

Here is the Bureau of Labor Statistics report data broken down into four categories, with seasonally adjusted August 2011 jobs in each category in thousands followed by the percentage change from August 2010:

• Telecommunications: 814.8; -8.56%

• Data processing, hosting and related services: 239.8; -0.25%

• Other information services: 162.2; 13.29%

• Computer systems design and related services: 1518.3; 5.01%

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