"Companies are investing in a range of technology initiatives, including Web 2.0 development . . .", according to Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology (RHT).
RHT publishes a Hiring Index and Skills Report, a quarterly technology analysis based on interviews with more than 1,400 CIOs randomly selected from U.S. companies with 100 or more employees.
Hiring Projections
Nationally, CIOs project a 10% positive differential in hiring during the first quarter:
- increase staff (13%)
- decrease staff (3%)
In the Boston metro area, CIOs predict a more moderate 4% positive differential in hiring during the first quarter:
- increase staff (7%)
- decrease staff (3%)
IT Skills in Demand
According to the report, the following Web development (Web 2.0) skills are in-demand by CIOs:
- database management (Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server) (59%)
- .NET development (27%)
Nearly 20 percent of IT department growth can be accounted for with these skill sets:
- Internet/intranet development (11%)
- Data/database management (8%)
Landing a Job
Katherine Spencer Lee offers the following four suggestions for those looking for a job in information technology:
- broaden your focus -- smaller companies offer greater hiring potential
- make finding a job a full-time job -- anything less and you are not maximizing your potential opportunities
- network, network, network -- it works
- raise your standards -- quality work gets noticed, mediocre work gets ignored
You can review the details of her advice in a recent Computerworld article. While the article is dated the advice is dead on.
2008 Salary Guide
RHT also publishes a 2008 Salary Guide. “There is strong demand for skilled developers with solid technical skills as well as the ability to solve business problems,” according to Lee in a press release announcing the Guide.
You can obtain a free copy of the Robert Half Technology 2008 Salary Guide by clicking the link below.
