Cut IT spending, hold steady, or increase? There's no consensus strategy emerging from our InformationWeek Analytics Outlook Survey, which asked 451 business technology pros about 2009 budget plans. The extremes are striking: 14% cutting staff, 14% hiring; 10% increasing the IT budget more than 10%, 13% cutting by more than 10%. In all, one-third plan to increase IT spending, a third are flat, and a third plan cuts. The U.S. IT job market reflects the tight budgets, with employment down 6% in the fourth quarter from the third, pushing IT unemployment to 3.2%. If you're looking for stability, lean on this: Only 16% report a drop in demand for IT projects at their companies. Then start figuring out how to get all that work done with a tight staff and budget.

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