SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report for the Bay Area shows that 20 percent of Bay Area chief information officers (CIOs) surveyed recently plan to expand their IT teams in the first half of 2014. This is up 7 points as compared to projections from the previous six-month period (June-December 2013). Another 68 percent plan to hire only for open IT roles, 11 percent plan to put hiring plans on hold, and none (0 percent) expects to reduce their IT staff in the first six months of the year.

"With ever-increasing amounts of data that need to be collected and analyzed by companies, we're seeing a surge in demand for data scientists," said Megan Slabinski, Bay Area district president of Robert Half Technology. "Product management is another area in high demand, since the ability to define a product and work on it from inception to launch is of great importance to companies with product offerings."

The 2014 hiring projections are based on interviews with 100 CIOs who were asked to provide a six-month hiring outlook. The 2013 projections are based on an average of two separate CIO surveys conducted in the second and third quarters of 2013. In each of these surveys, 100 CIOs were asked about their hiring plans for the next three months. The surveys were developed by Robert Half Technology and conducted by an independent research firm. In order to ensure that companies from all segments were represented, the sample was stratified by number of employees. The results were then weighted to reflect the proper number of employees in the greater metropolitan Bay Area. Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis and has been tracking IT hiring activity in the United States since 1995.

Recruiting Challenges
In terms of recruiting, 65 percent of Bay Area CIOs said it's somewhat or very challenging to find skilled IT professionals today. It is most challenging to find skilled talent in the functional areas of networking (23 percent), security (16 percent) and applications development (13 percent).

Confidence in Business Growth and IT Investments
The survey results suggest that Bay Area CIOs are optimistic about their companies' growth and IT investments. Ninety-one percent of CIOs reported being somewhat or very confident in their companies' prospects for growth in the first six months of 2014. This compares to 89 percent in the last half of 2013.

Seventy-four percent of CIOs also said they are confident that their firms will invest in IT projects in the first half of 2014. This compares to 69 percent in the last six months of 2013.

Skills in Demand
Sixty-eight percent of Bay Area technology executives surveyed said that network administration is among the skill sets in greatest demand within their IT departments. Windows administration and desktop support followed, with 58 percent and 55 percent of the response, respectively.

About Robert Half Technology
With more than 100 locations worldwide, Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of technology professionals for initiatives ranging from web development and multiplatform systems integration to network security and technical support. Robert Half Technology offers online job search services at www.rht.com. Visitors can also request a copy of the Robert Half Technology 2014 Salary Guide, which includes a wide range of IT job descriptions.

SOURCE Robert Half Technology