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By Laton McCartney
Chief information officers foresee a modest increase in IT hiring activity in the second quarter, according to a survey from staffing firm Robert Half Technology.
Nine percent of the more than 1,400 CIOs interviewed plan to hire additional IT staff in Q2, while 4 percent anticipate making reductions in personnel -- a 5 percent net increase, compared to 3 percent in the first quarter’s projection.
The survey, which was conducted by an independent research firm, also found that nearly 80 percent of the IT executives said they are confident in their organization’s prospects for growth in the second quarter. Robert Half said that the country’s central regions -- West South Central, West North Central and East North Central -- expected the most hiring growth.
“Executives are showing early signs of optimism in their business and hiring outlook,” said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “Recruiting efforts are focused in areas such as networking and desktop support, which help keep hardware and software running effectively, and facilitate the implementation of new technologies.”
Asked to rate their confidence in their company’s second-quarter growth prospects, 79 percent of CIOs said they are very or somewhat confident. Additionally, 40 percent of technology executives said they are optimistic their employers will invest in new IT projects in the next three months.
As for which IT skills are in the most demand, 15 percent of respondents said networking, followed by security (12 percent), and data management (11 percent).
Sixty-four percent of the CIOs cited network administration as the technical skill set most in demand in their IT departments. Desktop support was a close second at 63 percent, followed by Windows administration at 61 percent (CIOs were allowed multiple responses).
Robert Half said that finance, insurance and real estate were the sectors with the highest degree of hiring optimism. Twenty-three percent of CIOs in these industries plan to expand their IT departments, while 3 percent forecast personnel reductions.
Meanwhile, 11 percent of CIOs with business services firms expect to add IT staff and 2 percent project personnel cutbacks. In manufacturing, 9 percent of executives plan to expand their IT departments and 2 percent foresee staff reductions.
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