How Do CIOs Feel About IT Hiring in Q2?
By Robert Half Technology —
Menlo Park, Calif. — March 12 Technology executives expect continued IT hiring in the second quarter of 2012 — albeit at a slower pace than three months ago, according to the just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report .
In the latest quarterly survey — developed by Robert Half Technology, a provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis — 8 percent of CIOs interviewed said they plan to expand their IT departments, and 5 percent expect cutbacks, for a net 3 percent projected increase in hiring activity. Most CIOs plan to maintain their current staff levels: 85 percent of those surveyed plan no change in hiring, up 15 points from the first quarter.
In the same survey, 87 percent of technology executives were somewhat or very optimistic about their companies' growth prospects in the next three months, and 77 percent felt confident in their firms' second-quarter investment in IT projects.
“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. Executives are asked whether their companies plan to increase or decrease the number of full-time IT personnel on their staff during the coming quarter.
Key Findings
• The net 3 percent increase in anticipated IT hiring activity is down seven points from a net 10 percent increase in hiring activity projected last quarter. Eighty-five percent of CIOs plan to maintain their current staffing levels, up 15 points from the first quarter.
• Networking and IT security professionals are in greatest demand, followed closely by help desk/technical support professionals, according to survey respondents.
• Sixty-five percent of CIOs said it's challenging to find skilled professionals today.
• Eighty-seven percent of CIOs are somewhat or very confident in their companies' growth prospects in the next three months.
• Seventy-seven percent of technology executives expressed confidence in their firms' second-quarter investments in IT projects, rating the likelihood that their companies would be investing in IT projects a three or higher on a five-point scale, with five being most confident.
"Although hiring in the second quarter isn't expected to be as robust as it was at the beginning of the year, the trend remains positive. Those in hot specialties, such as networking and IT security, will continue to be in strong demand," said John Reed, executive director of Robert Half Technology. "Mobile media is an especially important area of growth right now."
Skills in Demand
The functional areas in which executives say they are experiencing the greatest challenge in finding skilled IT professionals are networking (16 percent) and IT security (15 percent). Help desk/technical support, applications development and data/database management followed — cited by 14 percent,13 percent and 10 percent of survey respondents, respectively.
Network administration remains the skill set in greatest demand, cited by 55 percent of CIOs. Database management and desktop support were next, with 54 percent and 51 percent of the response, respectively.
Industries Hiring
Executives in the wholesale industry expect the most IT hiring in the second quarter. A net 12 percent of CIOs in this sector plan to expand their IT departments. This was followed by the transportation industry with a net 9 percent of technology leaders anticipating hiring increases. Manufacturing was next, with a net 7 percent of executives in this industry planning to add staff.
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