Firms understaffed, yet CIOs won't hire

By SiliconIndia | Thursday, January 5, 2012 | 2 Comments

Despite most CIOs claiming that their IT departments are understaffed, hiring in their firms is likely to remain flat. In a survey of the IT job market conducted by Robert Half Technology, an IT professional job placement company, it was found that around 43 percent of the 1,400 CIOs it surveyed reported being understaffed, reports Information Week.

Of that number, around 10 said they were 'very understaffed.' In another survey reported this week by Foote Partners, it was found that IT job hiring won't to pick up until 2011. Foote Partners also predicted that IT managers are trying to acquire professionals with specific IT skills rather than just filling positions.

Dave Willmer, Executive Director of Robert Half, believes that the slowdown in IT hiring could have a detrimental impact on professional staffs. In a statement to Information Week, Willmer said, "Many companies have cut technology staff levels too deeply, making it challenging for IT departments to keep pace with demands. Although businesses may be able to operate with stretched teams in the short term, being perpetually understaffed isn't sustainable and can detract from the overall productivity and morale of the organization."

According to Willmer, it is best for IT managers to bring in short-term support. Also, this way IT managers will have the option to evaluate people they may want to hire permanently. Although the IT hiring picture looks gloomy, Foote Partners pinpointed some skills that remain in demand in CIO shops.

"We believe the search will be even more frantic next year for right-skilled IT contractors," the firm said, saying that the IT security and SAP professionals will continue to be in great demand. Other skill sets likely to be in demand include social media, Web development, e-commerce applications and business intelligence.