Demand for IT Pros Is Rising

Demand for information technology skills continues to rise, at the least in the private sector.

According to the latest quarterly IT hiring and skills index by Robert Half Technology, 12 percent of chief information officers said they plan to expand their IT departments in the coming months, while 6 percent expect cutbacks, for a net 6 percent projected increase in hiring activity. This is up two points from the previous quarter, the survey found.

The survey of more than 1,400 U.S. CIOs found that 92 percent of CIOs are confident in their companies' growth prospects in the next three months. Eighty-eight percent of CIOs rated the confidence of their firms' investing in IT projects in the fourth quarter at a 3 or higher on a 5-point scale.

The most in-demand skills continue to be IT security and networking, though 66 percent of CIOs say it's challenging to find skilled professionals today, up 18 points from the previous quarter. The greatest challenges in finding skilled IT professionals are in areas like security (18 percent), networking (17 percent), database management (11 percent) and help desk/technical support (11 percent).

Is your agency expecting increases, cutbacks or no changes in IT hiring in the coming months? What skills are the most difficult to find?