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Some good news for IT staffers. Some not-so-good news for CIOs searching for talent – especially those looking for Web developers, top programmers, and help desk staffers.

According to a just released report from IT staffing firm Robert Half Technology, IT unemployment remains low relative to other occupations. And IT workers can expect their salaries to rise next year by 3.7%.

But that’s because, says RHT, “a smaller pool of highly skilled candidates for technology positions, coupled with fewer college graduates with IT-related degrees, is making it difficult for employers to hire and retain individuals within many specialties.”

Particular skills in demand include:

* Web developers. “The rise of social media and the expansion of companies’ online presence, Web 2.0 initiatives and interactive web functionality have fueled further growth in Internet technologies, creating a strong demand for web developers,” says the RHT report, which added that starting salaries for Web developers will range $60,000 to $89,750 in the coming year.

* Programmer analysts. “IT professionals with skills such as .NET, SharePoint, Java and PHP are at a premium across companies in all industries, including healthcare, finance and manufacturing. These workers are needed to write code, test and debug software applications, and analyze business application requirements for functional areas across the organization,” says RHT, which listed salaries ranging between $60,000 to $100,750 for these professionals.

* Help desk professionals. “Companies are implementing a wider range of technologies, migrating from older operating systems and upgrading desktop systems. This is contributing to the demand for professionals who can troubleshoot software and hardware problems,” says RHT. The staffing firm’s release didn’t provide a full range of help desk salaries, but did list base compensation for Tier 2 help desk professionals in the range of $36,750 to $48,250.

Comments (3)

	1. 10-25-2008 22:19
	Why are there fewer college grads? The answer is pretty plain. Companys outsoursing. Where can theses people expect to go-grow when more and more jobs are going overseas. The companies, microsoft being a good example brings in foreign workers rather then helping colleges recruit tech. students.. Two professors in IT at the University of Michigan when asked, do you recommend to your children that they follow you into IT jobs. The answer was NO. These professors were both from India. Guest

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	2. 10-26-2008 23:32
	The positions I have seen offshored the most over the past 5 years are programming positions. I totally disagree with this article and the message. Check out http://www.programmersguild.org. Guest

Experienced IT Pro

	3. 10-28-2008 18:24
	Jobs are being outsourced wholesale to cheaper countries like India, Ireland, eastern europe and China. You can tell this by seeing the radical decline of IT salaries at the middle and senior levels in NYC. The same position as in 2000 now requires more advanced skills/training/degrees. Guest

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