Tech Leaders Are Hiring But Challenges Remain; Security And Cloud Skills In High Demand

MENLO PARK, Calif., June 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Tech teams will continue to grow in the second half of the year, but finding the right talent won't be easy, according to Robert Half Technology's State of U.S. Tech Hiring research. Of the IT hiring decision makers polled, 67% plan to expand their teams by adding full-time employees, up four points from the first half of the year. Eighty-nine percent of those surveyed most recently said it's difficult for their company to find skilled IT professionals.

Respondents cited the following skills as immediately needed for their organizations:

1. Cybersecurity
2. Cloud security
3. Cloud computing
4. Cloud architecture
5. Business intelligence and reporting services
6. Database management
7. Virtualization, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation, DevOps*

*Denotes a tie.

Almost all respondents (95%) said they will bring on project professionals to support their teams. Of those, 59% say consultants are a part of their overall hiring strategy and 56% say they'll bring project professionals on when there's a sudden vacancy on their team.

"Employers around the country and across all industries are challenged when it comes to growing their teams because of a limited pool of available talent," said John Reed, executive vice president of Robert Half. "In a skills shortage, IT leaders are seeing the benefits of enhancing their teams with project support professionals."

Reed continued, "Whether addressing the sudden departure of a team member, facing growing project requests or filling a skills void on your team, contract professionals can help increase productivity and keep burnout at bay."

Additional research findings:

• Nearly all IT leaders (97%) noted they are confident in their company's prospects for growth in the second half of 2019.
• Besides recruitment, top priorities for tech managers in the next six months include maintaining security, investing in new technologies, innovation and cloud projects.
• Industries planning to expand IT teams by adding new positions through the end of the year ranked as follows: construction; business services; banking and financial services; energy, utilities, oil and gas; finance; retail; and healthcare.

View an infographic of national hiring plans and infographics with results by city.

Hiring plans remain robust across the map. The table below shows percentages of technology managers from 28 U.S. cities who expect to add to their teams in the second half of 2019:

About the Research
The online survey was developed by Robert Half Technology and conducted by a leading independent research firm. The biannual report is based on responses from more than 2,800 IT decision makers in 28 major U.S. markets. Respondents were screened to have hiring authority for the information systems or information technology department of a company.

About Robert Half Technology
With more than 120 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 roberthalf.com/technology. Visitors can also request a copy of the Robert Half Technology 2019 Salary Guide.

SOURCE Robert Half Technology

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