CIOs Look To Hire More Help Desk, Tech Support PersonnelCIOs Look To Hire More Help Desk, Tech Support Personnel

Chief information officers are finally stepping up to the hiring plate and filling help desk and technical support positions, in the process giving the overall IT jobs picture a slight boost, according to a report announced Wednesday.

The Robert Half Technology IT Hiring index and Skills Report revealed that a net 8% hiring increase in IT personnel positions is planned by CIOs for the fourth quarter. Hiring for customer and/or end-user support was the category most cited -- by 25% of the 1,400 CIOs. It is the first time that category was given as the main hiring reason, overtaking business growth, which had been cited in every previous quarter since 2003.

"Organizations are directing recruitment efforts toward professionals who can provide essential services -- such as help desk and networking -- and support the launch of Web 2.0 based functionality," said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology, in a statement. "Companies are being judicious with their hiring plans, evaluating economic conditions and business demands before adding full-time IT staff."

Hiring across the nation was uneven, however, with 11% of the interviewed CIOs reporting they planned to add staff in the fourth quarter, while 3% planned staff reductions. Most -- 83% -- plan to keep their current staffing levels.

In the skills category, 70% of the respondents said network administration of LANs and WANs was the technical skill in highest demand, followed closely by Windows Server 2000/2003 administration and desktop support. The mid-Atlantic states were most upbeat about IT hiring, and transportation CIOs represented the most optimistic industry area planning to add staff.

Robert Half Technology noted that the strong demand for help desk and technical support personnel also tracks research from the IT service and support professionals association HDI, which recently reported that 45% of its members plan to increase their hiring this year.

For additional analysis on the technology job market, check out information's 2008 U.S. IT Salary Survey. Download the report here (registration required).