Houston CIOs Reveal Hiring Plans For Second Half Of 2016

Robert Half Technology Survey Shows More Companies Planning to Expand IT Teams

News provided by

Jun 21, 2016, 08:08 ET

HOUSTON, June 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty-four percent of Houston-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 24 percent in the previous six months and 22 percent a year ago. In addition, 62 percent plan to hire only for open IT roles, 11 percent plan to put hiring plans on hold, and 3 percent expect to reduce IT staffing levels in the last six months of the year.

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

Houston IT Hiring Forecast	July–Dec. 2016	Jan.–June 2016	July–Dec. 2015
CIOs adding more staff to IT departments	24%	24%	22%
CIOs planning to hire only for open IT roles	62%	57%	70%
CIOs who plan to put IT hiring plans on hold	11%	17%	7%
CIOs who plan to reduce their IT staff	3%	2%	1%
Don't know future hiring plans	0%	0%	0%

View an infographic of research highlights.

"Hiring across most industries has been steady over the last six months," said Robert Vaughn, metro market manager for Robert Half Technology in Houston. "Those affected by the oil and gas market are moving forward with mission-critical projects and tapping temporary and full-time personnel to help fill voids. Many companies are focused on tightening security processes and improving applications that enhance the user experience. Technology professionals who have experience in .NET, security and network engineering are in high demand and often receive multiple offers within a short amount of time."

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 73 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:

Network administration (54 percent)
Desktop support (52 percent)
Database management (52 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.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160621/381681-INFO

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160212/332877LOGO

SOURCE Robert Half Technology