The
tight cost fist is still clenched when it comes to technology hiring. Despite
84 percent of CIOs being at least somewhat confident of growth in the fourth
quarter of 2010, only 9 percent expect to increase hiring, according to Robert
Half Technology's quarterly index report on hiring published Sept. 8. Six
percent expect to decrease staff, so the net increase amounts to 3 percent.
The
overwhelming majority of CIOs are standing pat on staffing levels and not
hiring at all.
Network
administration is the No. 1 functional area in demand, taking up 21 percent of
the demand pie, said the report, which is based on a survey of 1,400 senior
technology executives responsible for budget and management.
"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, in a statement. "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."
Security
and help desk support are the largest functional areas in demand for CIOs for
the fourth quarter—each nabbing 13 percent of the demand base. Yet, in terms of
technical skills, database management (54 percent) and Windows administration
(51 percent) still rank very high. Desktop support also garnered 51 percent of
the demand (as participants were allowed multiple answers).
Regionally
speaking, the South had the largest demand for IT hiring at 13 percent, with
the East South Central hiring at an 8 percent clip. But keep in mind, each
region is still expecting some minor cutbacks in hiring at the end of the
quarter—a normal occurrence in most years.
The
transportation industry—including communications and utilities—is expecting to
increase IT staff, with 14 percent of CIOs in hiring mode. Business services are
the next largest industry to add staff, at 8 percent. Financial services are flat
on hiring, and professional services are adding a little bit, as 8 percent are
increasing staff.
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