IT Pros Show Concern About Job Security And HiringIT Pros Show Concern About Job Security And Hiring

Optimism about job security and hiring among tech professionals continued to dip in February, according to a report released last week by professional staffing firm Hudson. Confidence among IT workers fell 4.4 points in February to a rating of 104.6; the base score on the index is 100.

While 104.6 isn't all that pessimistic--there have been months in the last two years when tech job confidence plunged below 100--tech pros were less optimistic than the overall workforce last month.

The national index of workers in all sectors climbed 5.6 points in February, reaching a strong 108.2 rating. Hudson surveys 9,000 workers monthly in industries including accounting, finance, manufacturing, and health care, as well as nearly 450 IT and telecom pros.

IT workers were even less optimistic about employer hiring plans. Only 33% ex- pect their employers to add staff, versus 38% who thought so in January. Also, more IT staff were worried about job loss last month--28% last month compared with 22% in January.

Tech job confidence hit a high of 115.3 in December, says Brian Durow, a Hudson regional VP, but has slipped since the beginning of the year.