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By Mel Duvall
Information technology hiring is expected to gain momentum in the third quarter of the year as more CIOs are expressing confidence in their organization's growth prospects.
A survey by recruiting firm Robert Half Technology found that 10 percent of CIOs plan to expand their IT departments in the third quarter, compared to 4 percent that foresee cutbacks. The result is a 6 percent increase -- the third straight quarterly growth in IT hiring confidence.
"Many technology executives are feeling optimistic enough about business conditions to add personnel," said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half. "Companies that cut staff levels or implemented hiring freezes during the downturn are realizing they need employees now to upgrade IT systems and prepare their firms for potential growth."
The IT Hiring and Skills Report also found that a surprisingly strong 81 percent of CIOs said they are confident in their companies' growth prospects in the third quarter. The survey was based on phone interviews with more than 1,400 CIOs in the U.S. at companies with more than 100 employees.
An additional 40 percent of CIOs said they are optimistic about their companies' likelihood of investing in IT projects in the next three months. Tempering that finding was another recent Robert Half survey, which found 64 percent of CIOs said that understaffing in their company's IT department interferes at least somewhat with their ability to implement innovative or emerging technologies.
Robert Half said that as hiring activity increases, so do worries among CIOs about retaining key players on their teams. Thirty-four percent said they are concerned about losing top IT performers to other job opportunities, up from 31 percent in the last quarter. Forty-three percent also reported challenges in finding skilled IT professionals.
In terms of the jobs most in demand, skilled networking was the most challenging to fill, cited by 19 percent of the IT executives. That was followed by applications development and security, at 12 percent each. Software development, database management and help desk/technical support were each cited by 9 percent of CIOs.
On a regional basis, Middle Atlantic and West South Central states are expected to lead the country in hiring activity in the third quarter. In the West South Central states, 12 percent of CIOs expect to expand their departments, while 3 percent foresee cutbacks. In the Mid Atlantic region 11 percent of CIOs plan to hire, and only 2 percent forecast cuts.
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