A survey of 1,400 chief information officers (CIOs) from companies across the US with 100 or more employees has revealed that 54pc are finding it very or somewhat challenging to find skilled IT professionals.
The Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report is released quarterly, and according to the latest survey for the second quarter, security and networking professionals are in greatest demand right now.
Each of these functional areas were cited by 13pc of executives interviewed. Applications development and help desk/technical support followed, with 11pc and 10pc of the response, respectively.
Network administration remains the skill set in greatest demand, cited by 65pc of CIOs. Windows administration (Server 2000/2003/2008) ranked second, with 60pc of the response, followed by desktop support at 57pc and database management at 52pc.
Technology executives forecast continued information technology (IT) hiring activity for in the second quarter of 2011 – the survey shows 9pc of CIOs said they plan to expand their IT departments, and just 2pc expect cutbacks, for a net 7pc increase in hiring.
“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.”