Fed's New Rate Hike Eye Infections Money-Saving Tips Huawei Watch Ultimate Adobe's Generative AI Tips to Get More Exercise 12 Healthy Spring Recipes Watch March Madness
Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories?
No, thank you
Accept
Culture

IT hiring remains strong, says survey

Employment is not an issue if you have IT training. Seventy-eight percent of employers are filling IT positions before they fill slots in other departments, according to a survey.

Donna Tam headshot
Donna Tam
2 min read
James Martin/CNET

It seems the job hunt is in your favor if you qualify for a job in IT. Though the job market is still recovering from the recession, more than half of IT employers said they plan to hire for positions throughout the remainder of the year, according to CareerBuilder's IT midyear job forecast, which is due out tomorrow.

The survey says 55 percent of IT employers said they were planning to hire full-time, permanent staff from July 1 through December 31, according to CareerBuilder. While this is a 1 percent decrease from last year, CareerBuilder said the market is stable and healthy compared with other job markets.

"Despite a small slowdown in hiring year-over-year, the IT sector remains strong, with an ever-growing need for strong talent in this area," Ben Jablow, VP of niche sites for CareerBuilder, said in a press release. "With IT employers planning to hire in numbers more than 10 percentage points above the national average, the second half of 2012 promises a pattern of steady growth for the industry."

The nationwide survey, conducted by Harris Interactive from May 14 to June 4, included 180 IT hiring managers and human resource professionals.

Other stats from the survey:

• Forty-three percent of IT employers report they currently have open positions for which they cannot find qualified candidates.

• Seventy-eight percent of employers are filling IT positions -- followed by sales and customer service -- before they fill slots in other departments.

• IT employers plan to hire 10 percent more part-time employes than last year, but 1 percent less full-time employees.

• More IT employers reported needing to create new job functions to respond to business demands. When asked if their organizations currently have positions that didn't exist in their firms five years ago, positions for storing and managing data were at the top of the list, followed by social media and cybersecurity.

• Forty-six percent of IT employers hired full-time permanent positions in the second quarter of this year. The number is down from 48 percent last year. Nine percent decreased positions, while 45 percent made no change.