September 22, 2011, 12:17 PM — If you're a geek, according to two major IT hiring and job services companies, your prospects are marginally better than almost anyone else in what is turning into the second dip of at least a double-dip recession.
Bureau of Labor Statistics reported no job growth (literally 0 percent) in the economy overall, computer systems jobs grew by an astonishing 8,000 during August. (Better than zero, but that's what they call statistically insignificant.)
On the other hand, six percent of the 1,400 CIOs surveyed every quarter by Robert Half Technology expect to add new IT jobs this quarter, compared to four percent in June.
Leading IT job-ad site Dice.com shows numbers that are even more optimistic. As of Sept. 1, Dice had 82,836 jobs posted – 20 percent more than last year at the same time.
Even better, when you break the ads down between contract and full time, the advantage is clearly to the full-time gig.
The number of staff jobs is 26 percent higher than last year, while contract jobs increased 9 percent.
That's a huge change from the sadder parts of the recession, when it seemed as if the only jobs of any kind available anywhere were either contract jobs or involved some kind of indentured servitude.
Slow job growth, longer hiring cycles
It is taking longer to hire staffers – an average of seven weeks compared to five weeks a year ago, according to RHT.
That could argue for more trouble in the future.
During 2009 and 2010, when hiring was at its lowest points, hiring times stretched way, way out as execs put off decisions that would commit them to long-term budget drains and hired contractors instead.
The increasing ratio of staff to contractor jobs on Dice should mitigate that, though.
It's more likely that hiring managers are just more cautious or are having to jump through more hoops to get a new hire confirmed than they are to be shifting toward contractors again.
CIOs confident they'll get the budget for new jobs
Another big positive, from RHI, is that 88 percent of CIOs who expect their companies will be spending on new IT projects between now and the end of the year. Of course, 92 percent of them said they're confident in their company's growth prospects which, if you've been following any of the business news, is a good indication they're out of the loop or out of their minds ;– a little optimistic.
Source:Reuters
