IT Buoyed By Expected 2% Net Hiring Increase In Q3

It's not much, but given the sorry state of the U.S. economy, the 2% net hiring increase planned by CIOs in the third quarter of 2009 looks pretty good. The results, based on a survey of 1,400 CIOs across the nation, were announced Tuesday by IT job search firm Robert Half Technology.

The IT Hiring Index and Skills Report found that 8% of CIOs are planning to add to IT staff, while 6% plan staff cutbacks, resulting in the net 2% hiring increase. The major hiring activity results from an increased need for customer end-user support, as well as rising workloads.

"Companies are adding staff at a steady but moderate pace," Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology, said in a statement. "Managers are watching budgets closely and concentrating hiring activity primarily on customer-facing roles such as help desk and desktop support."

About 85% of the survey respondents plan to keep staffing at current levels, Robert Half Technology said.

As has been the case in recent months, LAN and WAN network administration positions are most in demand in IT departments, with 73% of respondents citing that category as their most pressing need. Other major needs were for desktop support, cited by 69%, and Windows administration, needed by 68%. Networking was picked by 16% of the respondents as the sector experiencing the most growth, followed by applications development, selected by 11%.

The regions expecting the most hiring growth -- 4% each -- were the South Atlantic, East South Central, and Pacific regions. The industries doing the most hiring were transportation, communications, and utilities.

"Eighty-two percent of technology executives said an increased need for customer/end-user support is driving staffing activity," Robert Half Technology said. "Help desk and technical support is the job area experiencing the most growth within their IT departments."

Robert Half Technology said reduced IT budgets are the chief reason for staffing reductions.

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