Great news for IT professionals (but not so great for employers): according to Dice.com’s most recent monthly survey, competition for qualified IT workers is continuing to heat up.
Dice.com, the United States’ leading career website for technology and engineering professionals, says the latest surge in hiring has pushed the tech sector’s unemployment rate to below 4 percent in the U.S. The overall U.S. jobless rate is 9.1 percent.
With so many tech companies hiring, positions are staying open for months due to a shortage of qualified applicants. According to Dice, 63 percent of those surveyed say talent shortages are the primary reason.
And in more good news? Dice surveyed about 900 hiring managers and recruiters, and about 65 percent of them anticipate hiring more technology professionals in the second half of 2011.
Furthermore, nearly half the companies (47 percent) say salaries are higher than a year ago. That’s up from 29 percent six months ago.
The two regions feeling the IT talent pinch the most are the East and the Midwest. About two-thirds of respondents from those areas are hiring IT professionals from outside their local talent pool to try and satisfy demand.
The most difficult positions to fill today? In the East and Northeast, it’s Java, mobile developers, SAP, security clearances and .NET, while the Midwest adds Sharepoint to the list. Programmers with knowledge of Ruby on Rails are in demand in the West.
One-third of corporate recruiters (34%) anticipate tapping outside resources to find tech talent more frequently in the second half of the year than the previous six months. Also, companies want to hire technology professionals with experience. Six to ten years of IT experience is the most prominent choice, followed by two to five years and then by professionals with 10 years or more of experience.
If you’re looking for the best way to show off your IT talents to a wide variety of clients, contact Morgan Hunter Corporate Search today! Let us help you find your next great career opportunity.