While U.S. chief information officers (CIOs) have plans of expanding their technology teams in the first half of 2017, difficulty in finding skilled IT professionals may pose a problem to their expansion goals. These are two of the key findings of a survey conducted by Robert Half Technology for its "Hiring Forecast and Local Trends Report".
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The report is based on telephone interviews with more than 2,500 CIOs from 25 major U.S. markets who were asked to provide a six-month hiring outlook. Executives were asked, "What is your company's plan for hiring full-time IT employees in the next six months?" To that question, 69 percent said “hiring only for open IT roles;” 16 percent said “adding more staff to IT departments;” and 12 percent said “putting IT hiring plans on hold.”
Executives were also asked, "In addition to recruitment, which of the following do you anticipate will be top of mind for you in the next six months?" Their answers included the following:
- Maintaining the security of IT systems and safeguarding company information (30 percent of those surveyed)
- Upgrading existing systems for business efficiency (22 percent)
- Helping grow the business (17 percent)
- Innovation and investing in new technologies (16 percent)
- Retaining staff (15 percent)
However, recruiting remains a challenge for IT leaders, with 61 percent of CIOs saying it's somewhat or very challenging to find skilled IT professionals today. They also cited the following skills as being in greatest demand within their organisations: database management (44 percent); desktop support (42 percent); network administration (42 percent); and cybersecurity (41 percent).
"For technology executives, the start of a new year often prompts the reassessment of teams, technologies and potential vulnerabilities," according to John Reed, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology. "IT leaders are bringing on full-time staff strategically and focusing on key business priorities, such as enhancing enterprise tools and strengthening IT security."
Aside from full-time hires, Reed says that more companies are also relying on project professionals with specialised skills to meet ongoing business needs.
Source: Healthcare Informatics
Image Credit: Pixabay
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While U.S. chief information officers (CIOs) have plans of expanding their technology teams in the first half of 2017, difficulty in finding skilled IT professionals may pose a problem to their expansion goals. These are two of the key findings of a surve
