MENLO PARK, CA – Good news on the hiring front has been hard to come by this year, but hiring in the information technology field will increase in the first quarter, according to the just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report.
In the latest survey, 11 percent of chief information officers (CIOs) said they plan to add information technology (IT) staff in the first three months of the year, and just 3 percent foresee cutbacks. The net 8 percent increase in hiring activity is up 5 points from the fourth-quarter forecast.
The survey also found that 84 percent of CIOs are at least somewhat confident in their companies’ growth prospects in the first quarter, the same number reported in the fourth-quarter survey. In addition, more than half (54 percent) of executives said it is very or somewhat challenging to find skilled IT professionals today.
The IT Hiring Index and Skills Report is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 CIOs from companies across the United States with 100 or more employees. It was conducted by an independent research firm and developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis.
Key Findings
- The net 8 percent increase in projected IT hiring activity for the first quarter is the highest in one year and up 5 points from the prior quarter’s forecast.
- Technology executives in the East North Central(1) and West South Central(2) regions will be hiring the most actively.
- Eighty-four percent of CIOs are at least somewhat confident in their companies’ growth prospects in the first quarter; 35 percent are very confident.
- More than half (54 percent) of CIOs expect to encounter recruiting challenges in the quarter ahead.
- Network administration is the most highly sought area of expertise for job candidates, as it has been for the last four quarters of the survey.
“As companies maximize operational efficiencies and strive to make information more accessible, they rely on their IT departments,” said John Reed, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “As a result, CIOs are reinitiating previously deferred projects and are more willing to invest in augmenting their teams.”
Confidence in Business Growth and IT Investments
Eighty-three percent of technology executives said they are at least somewhat optimistic about their firms’ likelihood of investing in IT projects in the coming quarter; 42 percent rated the probability at 4 or higher on a 5-point scale.
Skills in Demand
The functional area in which executives foresee the most challenges in finding skilled professionals is networking, cited by 17 percent of executives. This was followed by security and software development, with 16 percent and 11 percent of the response, respectively.
The technical skill set most in demand within IT departments for a majority of CIOs (65 percent) is network administration, up 5 points from the fourth-quarter survey where it also topped the wish list. Windows administration (Server 2000/2003/2008) ranked second, with 61 percent of the response, followed by desktop support and database management, garnering 59 percent and 54 percent of the response, respectively. (Note: CIOs were allowed multiple responses.)
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Tags: IT hiring to increase, IT jobs, Q1 2011, Robert Half
