Job Market Tasted Really Good To Tech Workers Last Month, Study SaysJob Market Tasted Really Good To Tech Workers Last Month, Study Says

Maybe there was something special in the eggnog last month, but whatever it was, the positive feelings tech workers had about their jobs soared during the holidays, according to the latest monthly job confidence report released Wednesday by professional staffing firm Hudson.

IT and telecom pros had holiday spirit in December, with confidence about their jobs jumping a jolly 14.2 points to 115.3, up from a bland 101 in November and compared to a base score of 100.

The attitude among tech workers about their jobs had a lot of highs and lows during 2005, but December had the second highest overall confidence score. Last year also started strong—the Hudson IT job employment index hit its year-long high in January, when confidence among techies peaked at 115.5. The lowest score was in May, which IT pros rated at 93.2.

With all the ups and downs last year among tech workers about their jobs, their confidence score averaged at 105.8 for 2005, which was more optimistic than the 2005 national average of 101.5 for workers in all segments surveyed by Hudson, which also includes accounting and finance, health care, and manufacturing. Hudson conducts monthly phone surveys of about 9,000 workers, including more than 500 tech professionals.

In December, the national index also increased—to 103.4 from 100.1 in November, a rise not nearly as significant as techies' buoyancy.

Hudson attributed the big improvement in the tech sector to workers' increased optimism about personal finances, hiring activity and job security. For instance, only 23% of tech pros said in December that they were concerned about losing their jobs, compared to November when 32% felt worried about being laid off.

Fifty-seven percent of IT professionals rated their financial situations favorably, up from 50% in November. Finally, 40% of tech workers said they expected their firms to hire in coming months, up from only 35% in November who anticipated that.