Another week, another chance to contemplate new and uninspiring employment numbers. Are there any indicators out there that point to an upswing in IT hiring? Well, here's one from an analysis of labor trends at IMarketNews.com: Recruiters say contingent staffing is up across the board, while IT hiring is being seen both in the contract and permanent categories.IT
As employers put cash reserves to work on long-delayed tech projects, IT specialists are benefitting in both contract and permanent hiring. Job creation is also relatively active in healthcare, finance and accounting. Pay is essentially stagnant for all but the most sought-after professions, personnel specialists say.
There's been much discussion about what large organizations are going to do with the $1.3 trillion in cash they've stockpiled as a hedge against whatever comes next. Some, it seems, are turning inward to work on tech projects.
Permanent hiring is most active in IT, for project and change management professionals and for information architects ... Contract IT hiring is robust, and is occurring in the financial services, energy and telecommunications industries. Finance and accounting professionals and engineers are also finding work on a contingent basis.
One lingering problem is that salaries aren't rising. In fact, iMarketNews contends they've deteriorated in all categories over the past two years. While we still may be fighting an uphill battle, it's encouraging to hear that recruiters see at least some action in the IT sector.
-- Don Willmott