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2008 Hiring Forcast
CIOs forecast technology hiring in second-quarter
TORONTO - Fourteen per cent of chief information officers (CIOs) plan to add information technology (IT) staff and three per cent anticipate personnel reductions in the second-quarter of 2008, according to the latest Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report. The net 11 per cent hiring increase compares with a net 13 per cent increase projected last quarter. The majority of respondents, 75 per cent, foresee no change in their staffing activity in the next three months.
The Hiring Index and Skills Report is based on interviews with more than
270 CIOs from a stratified random sample of Canadian companies with 100 or
more employees. It was conducted by an independent research firm and developed
by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of IT professionals on a project
and full-time basis.
Key Findings
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- Windows administration (Server 2000/2003) skills are in greatest
demand in IT departments.
- Networking is the job category experiencing the most growth.
- The retail sector leads all industries in hiring expectations.
"Business expansion and systems upgrades are driving the need for
additional IT personnel," said Sandra Lavoy, a vice-president with Robert Half
Technology. "Recruitment and retention continues to be a primary concern for
many organizations as the competition for top talent remains strong."
Business expansion was cited by 43 per cent of CIOs as the top reason
behind expanding their IT departments followed by systems upgrades at
17?per?cent. The need for customer and/or end-user support and the
installation and development of new enterprise-wide applications were also
indicated as leading factors by 11 per cent of CIOs, respectively.
Skills in Demand
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Windows administration remains the most sought after skill set, according
to 83 per cent of CIOs polled. Network administration (Cisco, Nortel) was
cited by 70 per cent of those surveyed and desktop support and database
management (Oracle, SQL Server, DB2) followed, each being indicated by
67?per?cent of respondents. (Note: CIOs surveyed were allowed multiple
responses.)
Networking was rated the job category to experience the most growth in
the second-quarter of 2008 by 18 per cent of executives polled. This was
followed by help desk/end-user support at 12 per cent and information security
at 10 per cent.
Industries Hiring
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The retail industry led all business sectors with 28 per cent of CIOs
expecting to add personnel and none projecting staff reductions. Business
services firms also forecast solid hiring increases, with 25 per cent planning
to add personnel and none anticipating reductions.
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