Washington, D.C. 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, 08:00 ET

WASHINGTON, June 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty-three percent of Washington, D.C.-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 6-point increase from the previous six months and compares to 18 percent a year ago. In addition, 62 percent plan to hire only for open IT roles, 13 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.

Washington, D.C. CIOs reveal hiring plans for second half of 2016

Washington, D.C., IT Hiring Forecast*	July–Dec. 2016	Jan.–June 2016	July–Dec. 2015
CIOs adding more staff to IT departments	23%	17%	18%
CIOs planning to hire only for open IT roles	62%	70%	69%
CIOs who plan to put IT hiring plans on hold	13%	12%	7%
CIOs who plan to reduce their IT staff	2%	1%	4%
Don't know future hiring plans	0%	0%	2%

*Numbers may not total 100 percent due to rounding

View an infographic of research highlights.

"Cloud initiatives, as well as network infrastructure and web development projects, are driving local demand for skilled IT professionals," said Chris Brinkman, regional vice president for Robert Half Technology in Washington, D.C. "The demand for talent, particularly in the government, technology and nonprofit sectors, is increasingly outweighing the supply of available IT professionals. This crunch is driving employers to speed up the hiring process so they don't risk losing top talent to the competition."

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 56 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:

Desktop support (63 percent)
Network administration (62 percent)
Database management (62 percent)
Cybersecurity (58 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