Chicago CIOs Reveal Hiring Plans For Second Half Of 2016

Robert Half Technology Survey Shows Cybersecurity Skills in High Demand

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Jun 21, 2016, 08:03 ET

CHICAGO, June 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Eleven percent of Chicago-area technology executives surveyed recently expect to expand their IT teams in the second half of 2016, according to the just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report. This compares to 21 percent in the previous six months, as well as a year ago. In addition, 71 percent plan to hire only for open IT roles, 13 percent plan to put hiring plans on hold, and 4 percent expect to reduce their IT staffing levels in the last six months of the year.

Robert Half Technology reveals Chicago IT hiring forecast for second half of 2016.

Chicago IT Hiring Forecast*	July–Dec. 2016	Jan.–June 2016	July–Dec. 2015
CIOs adding more staff to IT departments	11%	21%	21%
CIOs planning to hire only for open IT roles	71%	68%	72%
CIOs who plan to put IT hiring plans on hold	13%	9%	6%
CIOs who plan to reduce their IT staff	4%	2%	1%
Don't know future hiring plans	0%	0%	0%

*Numbers may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

View an infographic of research highlights.

"The biggest change we're seeing from six months ago is just how tight the local IT candidate pool is," said Kelly Workman, metro market manager for Robert Half Technology in Chicago. "Demand continues to be high for tech talent — particularly within healthcare, software and logistics firms — and most notably for entry-to-junior-level developers."

Workman added, "Candidates who possess a strong technical acumen, coupled with effective communication and business skills, are extremely valuable because they can liaise with teams outside of IT. Companies also seek hybrid developers — those who are equally strong on the front and back end —with a range of skills from HTML, CSS and JavaScript to AngularJS and SSRS."

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.

Recruiting Challenges and Skills in Demand

Hiring challenges remain, as 63 percent of CIOs said it's somewhat or very challenging to find skilled IT professionals today. The skills in greatest demand within their organizations, according to respondents, include:

Cybersecurity (60 percent)
Windows administration (59 percent)
Network administration (57 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 www.rht.com. Visitors can also request a copy of the Robert Half Technology 2016 Salary Guide, which includes a wide range of IT job descriptions.

Survey Methodology

The survey was 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