It’s not all gloom and doom for IT in this economic environment. According to a recent report by Robert Half, their IT Hiring Index and Skills Report shows CIOs are planning to hire more staff for their IT department. The index shows a 3% increase in hiring activity which is down from the previous quarter, however, it’s 3 points higher when compared to the same time frame last year. 84% of participating CIOs responded by saying they are at least somewhat confident when asked about their companie’s growth prospect for the 4th quarter which is up 3 points when compared to the 3rd quarter.

Key findings from the study include:

The net 3% increase in projected hiring activity is down three points from the prior quarter but up three points from this time last year.

The South Atlantic and East South Central regions anticipate the most active IT hiring.

84% of CIOs are at least somewhat confident in their companies’ growth prospects in the fourth quarter; 37 percent are very confident.

Technical Skill Set Demand Rate:

Network Administration (60%)

Database Management (54%)

Windows Administration (51%)
(Server 2000/2003/2008)
 

Growth Outlook by Region:

The South Atlantic states are expected to lead the country in hiring activity in the 4th quarter. 13% of CIOs in the South Atlantic region plan to add IT staff and 4% forecast personnel reductions, for a net 9% increase in hiring activity. In addition to network administration, technology executives in the region report strong demand for IT professionals with desktop support skills. Eighty-seven percent of CIOs in the South Atlantic region are somewhat or very confident in their companies’ growth prospects for the fourth quarter.
CIOs in the East South Central region also forecast hiring activity above the national average. 8% of CIOs expect to expand their IT departments and 3% foresee staff cutbacks, for a net 5% increase.

Growth Outlook by Industry:

CIOs in the transportation sector forecast a net 8% increase in hiring. 9% of executives in this sector plan to expand their IT departments and 1% foresee staff cutbacks. Companies in the transportation industry are actively recruiting professionals with desktop support, database management and website development skills.
Business services is another sector with hiring expectations above the national average. Fourteen percent of CIOs expect to add staff and 8% anticipate personnel reductions, for a net 6% increase.

“Technology executives continue to add staff to keep up with rising workloads and to implement projects previously put on hold,” said John Reed, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “Many organizations have realized that technology investments can lead to long-term cost savings and better efficiency, which has resulted in hiring in a number of IT specialties.”

About the Survey
The quarterly IT Hiring Index and Skills Report was developed by Robert Half Technology and conducted by an independent research firm. First published in 1995, the study is based on more than 1,400 telephone interviews with CIOs from a random sample of U.S. companies with 100 or more employees. In order for the study to be statistically representative and ensure that companies from all segments were represented, the sample was stratified by geographic region, industry and number of employees. The results were then weighted to reflect the proper number of employees within each region. The margin of error for this study is +/-2.6 percent at the 95 percent level of confidence.