Survey Finds Hiring Growth in IT

There seems to be a mix of both additions and cutbacks in the IT arena according to the third-quarter Robert Half Technology (News - Alert) IT Hiring Index and Skills Report. Chief information officers (CIOs) will make specific changes over the next three months. The report estimates that 8 percent of CIOs will add IT staff and 6 percent will cutback on personnel.

This net 2 percent hiring increased is unchanged from the second-quarter forecast. The majority of the remaining 85 percent of CIOs plan to maintain current staffing levels.

Key findings from this study indicate that these technology executives attribute activity in their IT hiring to an increased need for customer/end-user support as well as rising workloads. The three regions that are tied for the strongest hiring forecasts in the third quarter are South Atlantic, East South Central and the Pacific.

Those CIOs in transportation, communications and utilities seem to be the most optimistic about hiring. In addition, staff-level technology professionals are the greatest in demand and reduced IT budgets remain the leading reason for staff reductions.
 

“Companies are adding staff at a steady but moderate pace,” said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology, in a statement. “Managers are watching budgets closely and concentrating hiring activity primarily on customer-facing roles such as help desk and desktop support.”

A mix of full-time and contract or project workers will be added in the third quarter for 20 percent of CIOs. Nearly 88 percent of these plan to recruit IT professionals at the staff level and 20 percent plan to hire at the manager, senior manager and director level. CIOs were allowed multiple responses, accounting for the more than 100 percent total.

 

The technical skill most needed by 73 percent of CIOs is network administration. Another 69 percent need desktop support and 68 percent need Windows administration. Networking seems to be the area experiencing the most growth, with help desk and technical support close behind.

 

While transportation, communications and utilities anticipate the most active hiring in the third quarter, professional services and finance, insurance and real estate also forecast employment growth above the national average, with a net increase of 3 percent each.

This survey provides great hope for those trained in the IT industry, especially those that can bring experience and the demanded skill sets. In a period of cutbacks and losses, networks are still essential to the company’s operation. This helps to build job security and opportunity for those that can bring value to the table.