IT Brief New Zealand - Technology news for CIOs & IT decision-makers
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CIOs optimistic about Q2 hiring
Fri, 11th Mar 2011
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Technology executives expect continued hiring in the IT sector for in the second quarter of 2011.

In the most recent IT Hiring Index and Skills Report, 9% of CIOs said they plan to expand their IT departments, 2% expect cutbacks and 7% expected an increase in hiring.

The report is based on interviews with more than 1400 CIOs from companies across the United States with 100 or more employees.

The 7% increase in IT hiring activity is up two points from the 5% forecast this time one year ago, but down one point from the first-quarter 2011 forecast.

80% of CIOs were confident in their company's growth prospects in the next three months.

"Companies are recognising that moving ahead with formerly delayed upgrades and implementing new technologies can give them a competitive advantage," said John Reed, executive director of Robert Half Technology.

"Firms are investing in projects designed to create business efficiencies and help improve service levels and often need more IT personnel to support these initiatives, particularly if their teams have been understaffed in recent years."

73% of CIOs reported being at least somewhat optimistic about the likelihood of their organisations' investing in IT projects in the coming quarter.

Network administration remained the skill set in greatest demand, according to the report.

Windows administration (Server 2000/2003/2008) ranked second, followed by desktop support.