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Feeling Hot?: RHI Ranks IT Specialties, Growth
What is the hottest job in IT today? Networking, according RHI Consulting's latest Hot Jobs Report. The chief information officers (CIOs) polled ranked networking as the most requested job skill, with 24 percent of the vote. Internet/intranet development was identified as the second most requested job skill, receiving 18 percent of the survey response. Help desk/end-user support ranked third with 15 percent.
The semiannual Hot Jobs Report tracks job growth in information technology through a survey of more than 1,400 CIOs nationwide. The study was developed by RHI Consulting and conducted by an independent research firm, which polled CIOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 100 or more employees.
The results showed seven speciality areas experiencing growth:
- Networking 24 percent
- Internet/intranet development 18 percent
- Help desk/end-user support 15 percent
- Data/database management 12 percent
- Applications development 12 percent
- Project management 7 percent
- Systems analysis 3 percent
"Factors fueling demand for those skilled in designing and managing internal and external networks include an increasingly mobile workforce and an emphasis on safeguarding corporate systems," said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of RHI Consulting in a statement. Within the networking category, CIOs said they have the greatest need for network administrators, architects and analysts, according to the survey.
Internet/intranet development--the number two ranked specialty--remains a critical function within IT departments. "The popularity of XML-based software has resulted in the need for developers with experience designing Web-based applications," Lee said. Among IT executives who listed this specialty as their strongest area of job growth, the job titles cited most frequently included Web developer, Web designer and Web administrator.
One specialty gaining momentum according to the semi-annual survey is database management--12 percent of CIOs said this is their leading area of job growth, up from 9 percent six months ago. Lee noted, "There is growing demand for individuals accomplished in Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server administration to translate the massive amounts of data collected by today's e-commerce applications into business intelligence that will aid decision makers throughout the company."
For more information, visit www.rhic.com.