According to a NetworkWorld round up of stats and opinions, IT leaders planning for 2010 might find themselves coming up short on staff and the necessary high-tech skills needed to help their companies drive growth during the recovery. Will decimated staffs be able to build something big and new when activity perks up? Robert Half Technology says no. In its study, 43 percent of 1,400 CIOs polled feel their IT departments are either somewhat or very understaffed in relation to their current workload. Here's food for thought from Robert Half executive director Dave Willmer:

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.

The sentiment is echoed by Lily Mok, vice president of Gartner's CIO Research:

IT departments during the downturn were very cautious about where they reduced, and more organizations plan to keep staffing levels flat for a period of time. As the recovery continues, they might not even add too much, so I don't think we will ever go back to the big IT departments of 2000 or 2001.

Another finding from Gartner: 62 percent of business executives recognize that "IT-enabled changes will be a key element in their post-recession strategy." That's great, but when, and who, is going to do that enabling? The skeleton staff already in place, or eager new hires ready to take their careers to the next level? -- Don Willmott