IT Pros More Optimistic about Jobs and the Economy

IT worker confidence showed a healthy revival in the fourth quarter, according to the latest 2010 IT Employment Report from IT job site Technisource.

The Technisource IT Employee Confidence Index rose 7.6 percentage points during the last quarter of 2010, a nice turnaround compared with its 7.6-point drop in the third quarter. IT employees surveyed expressed greater optimism about their own job status and about the economy in general, bumping the index back to its 12-month high of 58.2 points.

Looking at the attitudes among those polled, 49 percent indicated confidence in their ability to find a new job, up 6 points from the prior quarter. A majority (78 percent) don’t feel it’s likely they’ll lose their jobs, up 13 points from the third quarter.

Though only 18 percent see more jobs currently available, that’s up from 12 percent in the prior quarter. A slightly larger number of workers are also aiming to stay put. Among those questioned, 32 percent expressed the likelihood of searching for a new job, down from 38 percent who felt the same way in the third quarter.

More (68 percent) IT pros are confident in the future of their employers, up a bit from 62 percent in the third quarter. And more (37 percent) believe the economy is growing stronger, compared with only 20 percent in the prior quarter.

The latest results naturally are encouraging to Technisource, especially after last year’s rollercoaster ride tracking the ups and downs of economic sentiment, both across the country and in its own confidence index. The firm believes this boost in confidence may indicate a push toward more sustainable economic gains.

Technisource also says it’s heard from employers who expect to increase hiring as a result of greater confidence and consumer demand. In particular, Technisource feels that project-based consulting will be the most viable option for employers who are still cautiously optimistic about an economic revival.

The survey for the fourth quarter IT Employment Report was conducted online between Oct. 13 and 15, Nov. 10 and 12, and Dec. 13 and 15 of last year. The poll hit 3,701 employed adults in the U.S., 253 of whom work directly in IT.

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