Los Angeles CIOs Reveal 2014 Hiring Plans

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report for Los Angeles shows that 15 percent of Los Angeles-area chief information officers (CIOs) surveyed recently plan to expand their IT teams in the first half of 2014. This is up 5 points compared to projections from the previous six-month period (June-December 2013). Another 71 percent plan to hire only for open IT roles, 11 percent plan to put hiring plans on hold, and 2 percent expect to reduce their IT staff in the first six months of the year.                          

*Moving forward, the CIO survey will be conducted semi-annually versus quarterly. Numbers from 2013 are the average of responses for Q3 and Q4 2013.
**Numbers may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

"Many companies in the L.A. region are optimistic about their future and investing in technology projects at an accelerated pace," said Craig Kapper, Los Angeles senior regional vice president of Robert Half Technology. "We're seeing especially high demand for IT professionals in the financial services, education, professional services and retail sectors." 

The 2014 hiring projections are based on interviews with 100 CIOs who were asked to provide a six-month hiring outlook. The 2013 projections are based on an average of two separate CIO surveys conducted in the second and third quarters of 2013. In each of these surveys, 100 CIOs were asked about their hiring plans for the next three months. 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 Los Angeles 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, 55 percent of Los Angeles 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 security (16 percent), networking (15 percent) and applications development (13 percent).

Confidence in Business Growth and IT Investments
The survey results suggest that Los Angeles CIOs are optimistic about their companies' growth and IT investments. Eighty-nine percent of CIOs reported being somewhat or very confident in their companies' prospects for growth in the first six months of 2014. This compares to 86 percent in the last half of 2013.

Sixty-four percent of CIOs also said they are confident that their firms will invest in IT projects in the first half of 2014. This compares to 58 percent in the last six months of 2013.

Skills in Demand
Fifty-nine percent of Los Angeles technology executives surveyed said that desktop support is among the skill sets in greatest demand within their IT departments. Network administration and Windows administration followed, with 52 percent and 51 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 www.rht.com. Visitors can also request a copy of the Robert Half Technology 2014 Salary Guide, which includes a wide range of IT job descriptions.

SOURCE Robert Half Technology

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