St. Louis CIOs Reveal Hiring Plans For Second Half Of 2016

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

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Jun 21, 2016, 08:11 ET

ST. LOUIS, June 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty-five percent of St. Louis-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 is a 2-point increase from the previous six months and compares to 24 percent a year ago. In addition, 64 percent plan to hire only for open IT roles, 7 percent plan to put hiring plans on hold, and 2 percent expect to reduce their IT staffing levels in the last six months of the year.

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

St. Louis IT Hiring Forecast*	July–Dec. 2016	Jan.–June 2016	July–Dec. 2015
CIOs adding more staff to IT departments	25%	23%	24%
CIOs planning to hire only for open IT roles	64%	60%	62%
CIOs who plan to put IT hiring plans on hold	7%	13%	10%
CIOs who plan to reduce their IT staff	2%	3%	3%
Don't know future hiring plans	2%	0%	1%

*Numbers may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

View an infographic of research highlights.

"It's a great time to be a technology professional in St. Louis, especially if you have experience in development or infrastructure," said Joe McIntyre, district president for Robert Half Technology in St. Louis. "New projects and initiatives, as well as continued economic growth, have spurred hiring at local companies in the healthcare, financial services and retail sectors. The supply of skilled professionals remains tight, however, so employers should move quickly and extend competitive offers so they don't miss the opportunity to hire the best talent."

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 64 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 (65 percent)
Database management (61 percent)
Wireless network management (59 percent)
Windows administration (59 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