U.S. CIOs Reveal Hiring Plans For Second Half Of 2015

Robert Half Technology Survey Points to Increased Hiring in Second Half

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Jun 04, 2015, 08:06 ET

MENLO PARK, Calif., June 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty-two percent of U.S. chief information officers (CIOs) surveyed recently plan to expand their information technology (IT) teams in the second half of 2015, according to the just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report. This is a three-point increase from the prior six-month period and up eight percentage points from one year ago. Sixty-seven percent of CIOs intend to hire only for open IT roles, 9 percent anticipate putting hiring plans on hold, and 2 percent expect to reduce their IT staff in the second half of the year.

Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report

U.S. IT Hiring Forecast*	July-Dec. 2014	Jan.-June 2015	July-Dec. 2015
CIOs planning to add more staff to IT departments	14%	19%	22%
CIOs planning to hire only for open IT roles	76%	68%	67%
CIOs planning to put IT hiring plans on hold	8%	10%	9%
CIOs planning to reduce their IT staff	1%	3%	2%
Don't know future hiring plans	1%	1%	1%

*	Numbers may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

View an infographic of research highlights.

"Skilled technology professionals are in high demand across the country, and companies are going to great lengths to attract the best talent," said John Reed, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology. "In this job seekers' market, technology leaders must not only develop innovative technology solutions, but also create a department culture that inspires and rewards innovation in its employees."

The hiring forecasts are based on interviews with more than 2,500 CIOs from 25 major U.S. markets who were asked to provide a six-month hiring outlook.

Hiring Hot Spots
Among the 25 major markets included in the IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report, CIOs in the following cities were most optimistic about increasing the size of their teams:

Recruiting Challenges & Skills in Demand
Recruiting remains a challenge: 59 percent of CIOs said it's somewhat or very challenging to find skilled IT professionals today. They also revealed which skills are in greatest demand within their organizations, their top responses include:

Windows administration (53 percent)
Desktop support (52 percent)
Network administration (52 percent)
Wireless network management (50 percent)

Addressing Recruiting Challenges
Sixty-nine percent of survey respondents said they are taking action to address recruiting challenges for IT staff. Following are some of the steps they are taking:

Increasing networking activities (48 percent)
Using recruiters or staffing firms (37 percent)
Offering referral bonuses (36 percent)
Hiring consultants to augment current staff (36 percent)

About Robert Half Technology
With more than 100 locations worldwide, Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of technology professionals for initiatives ranging from web development and multiplatform systems integration to network security and technical support. Robert Half Technology offers online job search services at rht.com. Visitors can also request a copy of the Robert Half Technology 2015 Salary Guide, which includes a wide range of IT job descriptions.

Survey Methodology
The surveys were developed by Robert Half Technology and conducted by an independent research firm. To ensure that companies from all segments were represented in the study, the sample was stratified by number of employees. The results were weighted to reflect the appropriate employee population in the United States. The margin of error is +/-1.6 percent at the 90 percent confidence level. Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis and has been tracking IT hiring activity in the United States since 1995.

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SOURCE Robert Half Technology