Stronger Budgets To Fuel IT Job Market

Despite fears in some circles of a potential “double-dip” recession, many IT decision makers appear optimistic about IT hiring heading into the second half of the year. The IT Monitor, a bimonthly online survey taken by Vernon Hills, Ill.-based CDW, which has been tracking IT sentiment since the beginning of the recession, reveals stronger IT budget expectations over the next six months and a renewed confidence in the IT job market for the first time in 2010.

According to the latest CDW IT Monitor, almost half (48 percent) of IT decision makers in the private and public sectors anticipate increased IT budgets in the next six months, up 10 percentage points from this time last year. Along with increased optimism regarding IT budgets, IT hiring expectations are also on the rise—37 percent of IT decision makers at large companies anticipate hiring additional IT staff in the second half of 2010, up eleven percentage points since June 2009. Similarly, 29 percent of IT decision makers in the federal government sector expect to hire additional IT staff, up nine percentage points since April 2010.

The overall CDW IT Monitor index score held steady at 72 for the fourth consecutive reading as confidence levels continue to vary between different sectors of the IT marketplace. Large businesses remain the most confident with an IT Monitor score of 79, while small businesses lag behind with an overall score of 62.