IT Call Up

If your computer is on the fritz (yet) again, newly hired IT help may be on the way. Fourteen percent of 1,400 chief information officers (CIOs) interviewed for the Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report plan to add full-time information technology staff in the second quarter, while 2 percent anticipate personnel reductions. The net 12 percent hiring increase is the second highest since third quarter 2002.

CIOs cited business growth as the top factor driving IT hiring for the second consecutive quarter. Microsoft Windows administration skills are in greatest demand, according to the survey, followed by network administration. As for geography, the Mountain region—including Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming—leads the nation in hiring optimism. When it comes to size, technology executives at the largest firms (1,000 or more employees) will be most active, with a net 19 percent increase in hiring activity forecast.

"Certain favorable economic conditions have prompted many companies to ex-pand operations and also increase their investment in information technology," says Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology. "In the case of high-demand skill sets such as Windows administration and database management, experienced IT professionals are receiving multiple job offers.