Survey: Companies Still Hiring IT Personnel

As waves of job losses cut across most U.S. industries, IT positions continue to represent a relatively safe haven, according to an IT hiring survey of nationwide CIOs released Tuesday.

The Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index of 1,400 CIOs found that CIOs are planning a net 2% hiring increase in the next three months. The percentage was reached after 8% of the CIOs said they plan to add IT personnel in the next quarter and 6% said they anticipate cutting staff positions.

"Not surprisingly, companies are being more judicious when hiring in today's economic environment," said Dave Willmer, executive director of Robert Half Technology, in a statement. "Budgets must support critical IT projects, and companies are re-examining their staffing needs accordingly."

Even as IT hiring holds up, the jobs trajectory is trending downward: Robert Half reported a 14% net increase in IT job hiring in December 2006. The mix of jobs in demand has shifted slightly since then, with desktop support the technical skill most in demand today, while Windows administration expertise and network administration skills were the most wanted positions in 2006.

In its latest survey, the staffing agency found that network administration specialists -- typically of WANs and LANs -- were also in high demand, followed closely by Windows administration experts. The chief growth areas were for specialists in help desk/technical support and networking. Some 15% of CIOs cited those areas, while 10% named Internet/intranet development as areas experiencing the most growth.The major blame for the reduction in IT jobs was the reduction in IT budgets, while the impact of the financial meltdown was also an important factor, according to Robert Half.

The region with the brightest IT hiring environment is the Mountain region; Robert Half said CIOs in the region plan a net 10% hiring increase. CIOs in the New England and West North Central regions also are predicting an increase in IT hiring for the next quarter -- a net 5% increase for each.

The business services and professional services sectors also remain strong, according to Robert Half. A net 7% increase in IT staff is predicted for business services, and a 6% increase is envisioned for the professional services sector.

The average tech manager makes $105,000, our salary survey finds. Have tech jobs bounced back? InformationWeek has published an independent analysis of this topic. Download the report here