Twin Cities CIOs Reveal 2014 Hiring Plans

MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report for the Twin Cities shows that 21 percent of Twin Cities-area chief information officers (CIOs) surveyed recently plan to expand their IT teams in the first half of 2014. This is up 10 points compared to projections from the previous six-month period (June-December 2013). Another 63 percent plan to hire only for open IT roles, 14 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.

"While there's continued demand across all areas of IT, we're seeing a strong emphasis on web development, Open Source technologies and database technologies," said Kathy Northamer, Twin Cities district president of Robert Half Technology. "Professionals with .Net, C#, Java and PHP skills – coupled with business acumen – are highly sought because of their ability to understand the end game, and work with project owners to transfer knowledge between techies and stakeholders."

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 Twin Cities 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 Twin Cities 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 data/database management (19 percent), help desk/technical support (15 percent) and security (14 percent).

Confidence in Business Growth and IT Investments

The survey results suggest that Twin Cities CIOs are optimistic about their companies' growth and IT investments. Ninety-one 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 84 percent in the last half of 2013.

Seventy 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 59 percent in the last six months of 2013.

Skills in Demand

Forty-eight percent of Twin Cities technology executives surveyed said that network administration is among the skill sets in greatest demand within their IT departments. Database management and Windows administration followed, with 47 percent and 39 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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