Study: Tech Hiring Hot Across U.S., IT Leaders Prioritizing Security

As security, cloud and digital projects in U.S. companies expand, so does the need for skilled tech professionals to support them. According to Robert Half Technology’s latest research on the state of tech hiring, 60 percent of IT hiring decision makers plan to expand the size of their teams between now and the end of the year.

Top cities for staffing increases include Miami, Detroit, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Charlotte.

When asked to describe their top concerns, tech leaders in 21 of the 26 major metropolitan areas included in the study listed security as their biggest priority, after recruitment, followed by investing in new technologies, upgrading business systems for efficiency, and innovation. Parallel with that data, the most important skill sets valued by hiring managers includes cybersecurity and cloud security (tied for first), followed by cloud computing and cloud architecture.

“Business needs surrounding security, cloud and digital transformation are outpacing the supply of talent, and technology leaders are facing difficulties staffing open roles,” said Jeff Weber, executive director of Robert Half Technology. “Employers should be discerning about what skills are must-haves versus what can be trained for on the job and move quickly with offers when they meet strong candidates.”

Additionally, it seems tech professionals are willing to relocate for opportunities: More than eight in 10 tech leaders (81 percent) said they are seeing more tech talent move to their cities for career opportunities. Top cities for relocation include Dallas, Seattle, San Francisco, Houston, and Miami.

The report is based on responses from more than 2,600 senior managers in 26 major U.S. markets. All respondents were screened to have hiring authority for the information systems or information technology department of a company and were asked to provide a six-month hiring outlook.

Channel Impact^®
The data provides channel partners with a sense of key growth technologies as well as a heat map for key locations.