Four out of five technology recruiters and hiring managers say that the current economy has caused them to scale back hiring for the next six months.
More than 1,900 people responded to the email survey conducted by Dice.com. The survey targeted human resource staff and recruiters who primarily hire or recruit technology professionals. The survey was conducted in May 2009.
Two Questions
Six questions were asked in the survey. Here are two that stand out.
“Has the current economic environment caused you or your clients to scale back hiring plans for the next six months?”
- Yes, substantially | 43%
- Yes, slightly | 38%
“How likely do you think layoffs are in the next six months at your organization, or if you are a recruiter at your clients’ organizations?”
- Very likely | 12%
- Likely | 31%
So, layoffs will likely continue in the technology sector over the next six months and companies will continue to be reluctant to add new staff for the remainder of 2009.
A Call from the Mountain
Granted, this is not the most motivating picture of the future. Now is the time to envision a view from the mountain on the other side of this valley. A Dice spokesperson is standing on that mountain and calling back to us across the valley . . .
“While it’s not surprising in this economy that companies are being selective, more than 90 percent of respondents indicated they have at least one hard to find skill set or position to fill. This potentially equates to solid demand when the economy turns upward.”
Details are available at The Dice Report, Special Edition, June 2009 
Three Possible Paths
To get across the valley Web professionals should consider strengthening three core skills. According to ComputerWeekly.com, trend data suggests a growing demand for these technologies:
- PHP
- JavaScript
- Ajax
Details are available at Learn PHP and get a job. Even though this publication is based in the UK, Beantown Web's Boston Market | June 2009 supports the demand for these technologies in the Boston metro area.
Obtaining training and demonstrating proficiency in these three technologies will likely help you get across the valley quicker and provide you a better view from the mountain on the other side.
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