Information technology hiring in the private sector is expected to increase by 7 percent in the second quarter of 2011, according to a new report by Robert Half.
The Robert Half Professional Employment Report, which is based in part on interviews with more than 1,400 chief information officers, found that 80 percent of CIOs are optimistic about their organizations' ability to expand in the next three months. Nine percent of executives plan to increase their IT hiring in the first quarter of 2011, while 2 percent plan to reduce staff. The net 7 percent increase in anticipated hiring is five points above the previous quarter's forecast, Half noted.
In addition, the survey shows that the federal government is not the only sector faced with the challenge of finding skilled IT professionals. Tasked with improving organizational efficiency, supporting new web initiatives and maintaining data security, many organizations are looking to augment their staffs. Still, 43 percent of CIOs said they find it challenging to find and recruit skilled IT professionals, the study found.
CIOs also noted that the most in-demand positions in 2011 will be network administrators, Windows administrators, and help desk and desktop support professionals. Finance, health care, and wholesale will be the top industries for IT jobs, according to the report.
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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