Dallas/Fort Worth CIOs Reveal Hiring Plans For First Half Of 2015

Survey Finds 27 Percent of Dallas CIOs Plan to Expand IT Teams

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Dec 02, 2014, 08:05 ET

DALLAS, Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report for Dallas shows that 27 percent of Dallas-area chief information officers (CIOs) surveyed recently plan to expand their IT teams in the first half of 2015. This is up 17 points compared to projections from the previous six-month period (July – December 2014). Another 61 percent plan to hire only for open IT roles, 7 percent plan to put hiring plans on hold, and 4 percent expect to reduce their IT staff in the first half of the year.

Dallas IT Hiring Forecast - First Half of 2015

Dallas/Fort Worth IT Hiring Forecast	July – Dec. 2014	Jan. – June 2015
CIOs adding more staff to IT departments	10%	27%
CIOs planning to hire only for open IT roles	76%	61%
CIOs who plan to put IT hiring plans on hold	10%	7%
CIOs who plan to reduce their IT staff	1%	4%
Don't know future hiring plans	3%	1%

View an infographic of the research findings.

"The demand for skilled IT talent in Dallas is strong, and unemployment levels for these professionals continue to fall, which has created a tight candidate market in the IT space," said Nicole Sims, Dallas regional vice president of Robert Half Technology. "Web and database developers are in high demand, especially among healthcare and professional services companies, as well as financial institutions."

The 2015 hiring projections are based on interviews with 100 CIOs who were asked to provide a six-month hiring outlook. The surveys were developed by Robert Half Technology and conducted by an independent research firm. In order to ensure that companies from all segments were represented, the sample was stratified by number of employees. The results were then weighted to reflect the proper number of employees in the greater metropolitan Dallas and Fort Worth areas. 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.

Recruiting Challenges
In terms of recruiting, 62 percent of Dallas CIOs said it's somewhat or very challenging to find skilled IT professionals today. It is most challenging to find skilled talent in the functional areas of software development (18 percent), help desk/technical support (14 percent) and applications development (13 percent).

Confidence in Business Growth
The survey results suggest that Dallas CIOs are optimistic about their companies' growth. Eighty-eight percent of CIOs reported being somewhat or very confident in their companies' prospects for growth in the first half of the year. This is unchanged from the second half of 2014.

Skills in Demand
Sixty-nine percent of Dallas technology executives surveyed said that network administration is among the skill sets in greatest demand within their IT departments. Wireless network management and telecommunications followed with, 67 percent and 61 percent of the response, respectively.

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.

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SOURCE Robert Half Technology