A poll of 1,400 CIOs conducted by an independent research firm found that a net of 10 percent planned to hire IT staff in the next three months, Robert Half Technology said. Fully 13 percent of the respondents planned to add staff, and 3 percent anticipated cutbacks.
The net was two percentage points higher than the previous quarter's forecast, the private IT employment agency said.
The poll found that 44 percent of CIOs who expect to hire full-time IT professionals said business growth was the primary reason. Fully 23 percent of respondents attributed the need for more staff to increased customer or end-user support.
The survey also found that administration of Windows Server 2000/2003 was the hottest skill set within IT departments. The Mountain states led the nation in hiring optimism, and executives in finance, insurance and real estate were the most optimistic about hiring activity.