Tech Hiring On the Rise

The majority of employers and recruiters anticipate hiring more professionals in the second half of 2010, according to a new survey by Dice Holdings, a provider of career websites for professional communities, including information technology and security clearance.

The survey, released Tuesday, found that 52 percent of employers and recruiters plan to hire more professionals in the second half of 2010, and of those planning to hire, 49 percent project they will add up to 10 percent more employees compared with the first half of 2010. Twenty-eight percent plan to increase hiring by 11 to 20 percent, the study found.

When asked about the time it takes to fill new positions, 26 percent of employers and recruiters said they expect the time to shorten either slightly or substantially. Twenty percent of respondents cited an increase in recruiting for new positions, indicating a greater urgency to build staff, Dice found.

In addition, a quarter of employers and recruiters see salaries for new hires rising, compared to just 10 percent reporting salary increases for new hires in the first half of 2010. More companies also reported hiring more entry level and seasoned professionals than six months ago, although most cited that the strongest demand is for professionals in between, with two to ten years of experience. Nearly 70 percent of employers and recruiters believe layoffs are unlikely to occur at companies within the next six months, the study found.

Last month, Dice.com reported that technology job postings on its website jumped 20 percent in March, with the largest numbers of tech jobs concentrated in the Washington, D.C., New York City and Silicon Valley metro areas.

Wired Workplace is a daily look at issues facing the federal information technology workforce. It is written by former Government Executive reporter Brittany Ballenstedt and published on Nextgov.com. Click here to read the latest entries.