Second Quarter IT Hiring on the Rise According to The Robert Half Technology Survey

The recently released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report carries some positive news - continued information technology (IT) hiring activity for the second quarter of 2011.

The IT Hiring Index and Skills Report is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 chief information officers (CIOs) from companies across the US with 100 or more employees. The survey has been created by Robert Half Technology (News - Alert), a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis, and conducted by an independent research firm.

Executive director of Robert Half Technology, John Reed commented, "Companies are recognize that moving ahead with formerly delayed upgrades and implementing new technologies can give them a competitive advantage. Firms are investing in projects designed to create business efficiencies and help improve service levels and often need more IT personnel to support these initiatives, particularly if their teams have been understaffed in recent years."

In the latest quarterly survey, 9 percent of CIOs interviewed said they plan to expand their IT departments, and just 2 percent expect cutbacks, for a net 7 percent increase in hiring.

Amongst the key findings, the net 7 percent increase in IT hiring is up from a net 5 percent, this time last year. While eighty percent of CIOs are confident in their company's growth prospects in the next 3 months, nearly half (48 percent) rated the probability of their firms investing in IT projects in the second quarter as a 4 or higher (on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the most optimistic).

According to the 2011 survey, fifteen percent of executives plan to add IT staff and just 1 percent expect cutbacks. The net 14 percent increase is seven points higher than the national average.

Areas where there is a great skill demand, but a challenge in hiring, are security and networking, according to the survey. Other areas quoted include Applications development, help desk/technical support, Network administration, Windows administration (Server 2000/2003/2008), desktop support and database management.

Recently, Modis, a global provider of information technology recruitment services, published a white paper named “Hiring Freeze Over as Information Technology Industry Rebounds,” which also scans the altering face of the IT industry and its effect on hiring practices.