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MENLO PARK, Calif., June 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The newly released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report shows that many companies anticipate bringing in IT staff in the second half of the year, and the number planning to put a hold on hiring is declining. Fourteen percent of U.S. chief information officers (CIOs) plan to expand their teams in the last half of 2014. This represents a 2-point decline from the previous survey. Another 76 percent expect to hire only for open IT roles, compared to 67 percent in the first six months of the year. Eight percent of technology executives plan to put their hiring on hold through the rest of the year, down from 15 percent in the previous survey, while only 1 percent expect to reduce their IT staffing levels. View the research highlights:

"Many IT departments will be focused for the remainder of this year on adding skilled technology professionals for newly created or existing open positions," said John Reed, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology. "However, many organizations are likely to find it difficult to locate specialized talent, especially in the areas of applications development, networking and security."

The hiring projections for the first half of 2014 are based on interviews with more than 2,300 CIOs from 23 major U.S. markets who were asked to provide a six-month hiring outlook. Hiring projections for the last six months of 2014 are based on interviews with more than 2,400 CIOs in 24 major U.S. markets.

The surveys were developed by Robert Half Technology and conducted by an independent research firm. To ensure that companies from all segments were represented in the study, the sample was stratified by number of employees. The results were weighted to reflect the proper number of employees in the United States. Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis and has been tracking IT hiring activity in the United States since 1995.

Recruiting Challenges

As for recruiting technology talent, 61 percent of U.S. CIOs said it is somewhat or very challenging to find skilled IT professionals. This is a 2-point drop compared to the first half of the year. Technology executives surveyed report that it is most difficult to find skilled talent in the functional areas of applications development (17 percent), networking (17 percent) and security (12 percent).

Confidence in Business Growth and IT Investments

The Robert Half Technology survey suggests that CIOs continue to have an optimistic outlook about their companies' growth and plans for IT investments. Eighty-nine percent of CIOs reported being somewhat or very confident about their companies' growth prospects for the last six months of 2014. This compares to 88 percent for the first half of the year.

Seventy-one percent of CIOs said they are confident that their firms will invest in IT projects in the next six months. This compares to 69 percent in the first half of 2014. Most of those upcoming investments will be in hardware upgrades (44 percent) and software upgrades (21 percent), according to the Robert Half Technology survey.

Skills in Demand

Fifty-seven percent of U.S. technology executives said that network administration tops the list of skills sets in greatest demand within their IT departments. This figure is unchanged from the previous survey. Database management and desktop support followed, each with 52 percent of the response.

About Robert Half Technology

With more than 100 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 rht.com. Follow Robert Half Technology at twitter.com/RobertHalfTech or visit our technology blog at blog.rht.com.

SOURCE Robert Half Technology