Demand for Tech Pros Continues to Climb

 nextgov

The job market for technology professionals is continuing to expand going into the second half of 2013, and surprisingly, hiring managers are having a slightly easier time finding the skills they need, according to a new survey.

This month’s issue of the Dice Report found that nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of technology-focused hiring managers and recruiters plan to hire more IT professionals during the second half of 2013 than they did in the first six months. That marks an increase over the start of the year, when 64 percent said they plan to boost hiring more than they did in the previous six months.

In addition, fewer hiring managers (46 percent) said the time to recruit for the skills they need is lengthening, as compared to 55 percent who felt that way six months ago. Twenty-two percent of respondents said their hiring process had actually sped up when compared to 2012, Dice found.

But despite speedier hiring times for organizations, IT professionals know their skills are still in hot demand, so much so that many are testing the market and expecting higher salaries. Pay is a driving force in accepting a new position, for example, with the majority of hiring managers saying salary offers were often considered too low by job candidates. When the initial job offer was declined, 30 percent of hiring managers said their offer was slightly lower (between 0-5 percent) than the candidate’s expectations, while 28 percent noted their offer was substantially lower by as much as 10 percent.

In addition, 33 percent of hiring managers said more tech workers are voluntarily quitting their jobs this year as compared to last year. Thirty-two percent of respondents also said that more job candidates are rejecting job offers than they were just six months ago.

Brittany Ballenstedt

Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.