Houston CIOs Reveal Hiring Plans For First Half Of 2015

Survey Finds 24 Percent of Houston CIOs Plan to Expand IT Teams

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Dec 02, 2014, 08:05 ET

HOUSTON, Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report for Houston shows that 24 percent of Houston-area chief information officers (CIOs) surveyed recently plan to expand their IT teams in the first half of 2015. This is up 11 points compared to projections from the previous six-month period (July – December 2014). Another 64 percent plan to hire only for open IT roles, 10 percent plan to put hiring plans on hold, and 1 percent expect to reduce their IT staff in the first half of the year.

Houston IT Hiring Forecast - First Half of 2015

Houston IT Hiring Forecast	July – Dec. 2014*	Jan. – June 2015*
CIOs adding more staff to IT departments	13%	24%
CIOs planning to hire only for open IT roles	82%	64%
CIOs who plan to put IT hiring plans on hold	5%	10%
CIOs who plan to reduce their IT staff	0%	1%
Don't know future hiring plans	1%	0%

*Numbers do not total 100 percent due to rounding.

View an infographic of the research findings.

"On the infrastructure side, we're seeing an increased demand for network engineers and security professionals, while on the development side, .NET and SQL developers are seeing more opportunities," said Robert Vaughn, Houston branch manager of Robert Half Technology. "What's very encouraging is that more small and midsize businesses in the Houston area are ramping up IT hiring."

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 Houston area. 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, 72 percent of Houston 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 (22 percent), help desk/technical support (14 percent) and security (13 percent).

Confidence in Business Growth
The survey results suggest that Houston CIOs are optimistic about their companies' growth. Ninety-five percent of CIOs reported being somewhat or very confident in their companies' prospects for growth in the first half of the year. This compares to 94 percent in the second half of 2014.

Skills in Demand
Fifty-six percent of Houston technology executives surveyed said that database management is among the skill sets in greatest demand within their IT departments. Network administration followed with 54 percent, while wireless network management and Windows administration tied with 51 percent of the response.

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