Survey Shows Rising Call For IT Workers

By Agence France-Presse More than 1.1 million information technology jobs will open within the next 12 months, reversing a year-long half-million tech-job slide, a U.S. industry group reported May 6. According to the Information Technology Association of America, an industry trade organization, the information technology (IT) sector dropped from 10.4 million to 9.9 million jobs in 2001. But 1.1 million IT workers will be signed on this coming year, according to a survey of U.S. businesses. "This is obviously a good news-bad news report for IT workers," said ITAA President Harris N. Miller. "Revenue growth in the IT industry stalled in the past year, and now we know that IT employment has actually lost ground. We think the situation will be short lived, with employers filling positions they were forced to cut in the recession." "We may have seen a bubble burst, but the digital economy is here to stay. Despite the slump of 2001, the IT workforce is bouncing back," Miller added. The study also found that companies reduced their IT forces by 15% last year, compared to 4% cuts in the general work force. And hiring companies expect a 600,000 shortfall in qualified tech workers for the coming year. The survey relied on telephone interviews with 532 technology hiring managers, selected at random at both IT and non-IT companies. Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2002