Canadian CIOs Deliver Hiring Plans for Second Half of 2015

Robert Half Technology Survey Reveals CIOs are Cautiously Optimistic

TORONTO, June 4, 2015 /CNW/ - Ninety-eight per cent of Canadian chief information officers (CIOs) surveyed recently said that they were very or somewhat confident in their company's growth prospects for the next six months. Despite this confidence, CIOs are being cautious with hiring, as sixty-six per cent plan to hire only for open IT roles over the next six months, and only 7 per cent intend on expanding their IT teams in the second half of 2015 according to the just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report.

Canadian IT Hiring Forecast*	July–Dec. 2014	Jan.-June 2015	July–Dec. 2015
CIOs adding more staff to IT departments	14%	17%	7%
CIOs planning to hire only for open IT roles	67%	67%	66%
CIOs who plan to put IT hiring plans on hold	17%	12%	27%
CIOs who plan to reduce their IT staff	1%	3%	0%
Don't know future hiring plans	0%	1%	0%
Total	99%	100%	100%

*Numbers may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.

"With high confidence in future growth, job seekers need to be aware of where technology demands lie as an essential service, and be prepared to fill those needs as they arise in the coming months," said Deborah Bottineau, senior regional manager of Robert Half Technology. "Companies are being cautious with their hiring practices going into the second half of the year, focusing on cultivating internal development and working with current business demands before adding full-time IT staff."

Hiring forecasts are based on interviews with more than 270 CIOs from major Canadian markets who were asked to provide a six-month hiring outlook.

Recruiting Challenges & Skills in Demand
Recruiting still remains a challenge: One in three (29 per cent) CIOs said it's somewhat or very challenging to find skilled IT professionals today. They also revealed the skills in greatest demand within their organizations, which include:

• Wireless network management (64 per cent)
• Network administration (56 per cent)
• Windows administration (55 per cent)
• Database management (49 per cent)

Forward Looking
Ninety-eight per cent of survey respondents said they are confident in their company's prospects for growth in the next six months, and cited no plans to reduce the number of IT professionals currently on staff.

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 roberthalftechnology.ca or visit our technology blog at blog.rht.com. Follow @RobertHalf_CAN on Twitter for additional workplace advice and hiring trends.

Survey Methodology
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 appropriate employee population of Canada. The margin of error is +/-5.0 per cent at the 90 per cent confidence level. Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis.

SOURCE Robert Half Technology

Image with caption: "Last Half of 2015 IT Hiring Forecast (CNW Group/Robert Half Technology)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150604_C4330_PHOTO_EN_17448.jpg

Naz Araghian, 416.865.2140, [email protected]