* Staffing report shows strengthening IT jobs market
A new report from staffing firm Vedior North America shows a strengthening job market in several sectors, including IT.
“Although we do see that evidence that growth will abate from the frantic pace of recent years, we believe that U.S. employers will continue to add jobs,” says Greg Netland, CEO of Vedior North America. “In fact, we are already seeing a gap between supply and demand forcing companies to work harder to secure qualified employees.”
For example, Vedior’s IT division, Sapphire Technologies, has received 59% more job orders for IT pros in the first nine months of 2006 than in the same time period last year.
According to the analysis, niche expertise is increasingly sought and those with highly differentiated skill sets are able to command premium salaries. While it’s true that many entry-level support positions have moved offshore, companies want to keep higher level IT jobs local to keep a close eye on projects. Sapphire also notes that a high level of merger and acquisition activity is continuing to drive demand for mid-level IT folks.
Security personnel are essential for keeping corporate networks safe from breaches. In addition to security analysts, other hot IT job titles for 2007 include project managers, business analyst, change management specialist, quality assurance personnel and program manager.
The Vedior/Sapphire report also breaks down areas for IT growth by industry and region. In the Northeast, finance, insurance, healthcare and retail look strong. In the Mid-Atlantic, IT opportunities are forecast for finance, government, insurance, security and manufacturing. In the Mid-West, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare should see growth. On the West Coast, media/telecom/entertainment, finance and government host the strongest prospects. And in the South, media/telecom/entertainment and oil and gas are expected to add IT jobs.
