CIOs Report on Information Technology's Hottest Jobs

Semi-annual Survey Ranks IT Specialties by U.S. Region and Industry
    MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 19, 2002 -- Chief information officers
(CIOs) have once again rated networking the nation's hottest information
technology (IT) specialty.  In the semi-annual Robert Half Technology Hot Jobs
Report, networking was cited by 23 percent of IT executives as the field
experiencing the strongest growth, for the second consecutive year.  Help
desk/end-user support was identified as the second most sought-after
specialty, receiving 15 percent of the response.  Internet/intranet
development ranked third, with 13 percent of executives singling out this area
of expertise.
    The Hot Jobs Report tracks job growth in information technology through a
survey of more than 1,400 CIOs nationwide.  The study was developed by Robert
Half Technology and conducted by an independent research firm, which polled
CIOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 100 or more
employees.  Robert Half Technology is a leading specialized consulting
services firm placing IT professionals on a project and full-time basis.
    The seven specialty areas experiencing the strongest growth in U.S.
corporate IT departments, as ranked by CIOs, are:

     Networking                                         23%
     Help desk/end-user support                         15%
     Internet/intranet development                      13%
     Applications development                           11%
     Data/database management                           10%
     Project management                                  5%
     Systems analysis                                    4%
     No growth                                           7%
     Other/don't know                                   12%
                                                       100%

    "As companies develop wireless networks to support a mobile workforce and
implement new security measures to safeguard corporate data, demand for
skilled networking specialists will remain strong," said Katherine Spencer
Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology.  "Those with skills in
wireless LAN and firewall administration are highly marketable in the current
environment."  Job titles most requested within the networking category
include network administrator, security analyst and network engineer.
    According to the survey, the need for experienced help desk/end-user
support professionals has also risen -- 15 percent of CIOs selected this
category as their leading area of job growth, up from 9 percent in the
previous report.  "As firms increasingly rely on the web to conduct business,
providing user support -- both internal and external -- will remain an
important function within IT departments," Lee said.  Desktop support
analysts, technical administrators and computer technicians are most in
demand.
    Within the Internet/intranet development category, CIOs said web
designers, web programmers and web developers are most in demand.  Lee noted,
"Individuals skilled in XML and JavaScript are helping their firms transition
to web-based services."

    Mid-Atlantic States Demand Networking Experts
    CIOs in the Mid-Atlantic(1) region expressed the greatest need for
networking professionals.  Thirty-one percent of executives in these states
cited networking as the leading area of job growth for their firms, eight
percentage points above the national average.  "Expansion within the region's
pharmaceutical and health care industries has resulted in demand for IT
specialists who can assist with network integration and infrastructure
development.  As a result, there are opportunities for experienced systems
analysts and network engineers," Lee said.
    The West South Central(2) region is experiencing strong demand for help
desk and networking professionals -- each specialty was named by 21 percent of
CIOs in these states as their fastest-growing job category.  Help desk
specialists are also highly sought after in the Mountain(3) states, where 18
percent of executives polled indicated significant growth in this area.
    Technology executives in the East North Central(4) region are experiencing
stronger demand than any other region for Internet/intranet development
professionals.
    Twenty percent of CIOs in these states named this category their leading
area of job growth.  Web experts are also in demand in the Mid-Atlantic
region, where 17 percent of executives cited Internet/intranet development as
the fastest-growing IT specialty, after networking.

    Professional Services Firms Seek Network Administrators
    The professional services industry currently offers networking
professionals the best job prospects -- 28 percent of technology executives
surveyed identified this as their fastest-growing specialty.  In the finance
and transportation sectors, demand for help desk/end-user support staff is
particularly strong, according to the survey.  Twenty-three percent of CIOs
surveyed from each industry identified this IT specialty as the leading area
of growth within their departments.  IT managers in the transportation sector
also reported significant need for Internet/intranet specialists -- 22 percent
of CIOs ranked this as the fastest-growing job category at their firms.
    (Charts on accompanying pages provide breakdowns by region and industry.)
    With more than 100 locations in North America, Europe and Australia,
Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of IT professionals for
initiatives ranging from e-business development and multiplatform systems
integration to network engineering and technical support.  Robert Half
Technology offers online job search services at http://www.roberthalftechnology.com.


                    ROBERT HALF TECHNOLOGY HOT JOBS REPORT
                                September 2002

                                                                        East
                                United     New       Mid-     South    North
                                States   England   Atlantic  Atlantic Central

    Networking                    23%      21%       31%       26%       23%
    Help Desk/End- User
     Support                      15%      13%       12%       16%       15%
    Internet/Intranet
     Development                  13%      16%       17%        7%       20%
    Applications Development      11%       5%       13%       11%       16%
    Data/Database Management      10%      13%        7%       14%        6%
    Project Management             5%       5%        2%        3%        7%
    Systems Analysis               4%       6%        4%        6%        2%
    No Growth                      7%       9%        4%        8%        5%
    Other/Don't Know              12%      12%       10%        9%        6%


                                 West      East      West
                                 North    South     South
                                Central  Central   Central   Mountain Pacific

    Networking                    30%      26%       21%       21%       12%
    Help Desk/End-User
     Support                      15%       9%       21%       18%       15%
    Internet/Intranet
     Development                   9%      13%       13%       10%       12%
    Applications Development       7%      11%       11%       12%        9%
    Data/Database Management       9%      16%       11%        8%       10%
    Project Management             8%       7%        3%        7%        7%
    Systems Analysis               3%       4%        5%        2%        8%
    No Growth                      4%       3%        9%        9%        9%
    Other/Don't Know              15%      11%        6%       13%       18%


    New England:  CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT; Mid-Atlantic: NJ, NY, PA;
     South Atlantic: DE, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, VA, WV; East North Central:
     IL, IN, MI, OH, WI; West North Central: IA, KS, MN, MO, NE, ND, SD; East
     South Central: AL, KY, MS, TN; West South Central: AR, LA, OK, TX;
     Mountain: AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY; Pacific: AK, CA, HI, OR, WA




                                                   Finance,
                                                   Ins. and          Profess-
                                United   Manufac     Real              ional
                                States   -turing    Estate    Retail Services
    Networking                   23%       22%       21%       20%      28%
    Help Desk/End-User
     Support                     15%       11%       23%       16%      19%
    Internet/Intranet
     Development                 13%        9%        5%       18%      15%
    Applications Development     11%       17%       21%        5%       8%
    Data/Database Management     10%       11%        7%       10%       8%
    Project Management            5%        7%       10%        9%       2%
    Systems Analysis              4%        5%        5%       10%       4%
    No Growth                     7%        7%        4%        4%       6%
    Other/Don't Know             12%       11%        4%        8%      10%


                                       Con-     Transpor-    Whole-  Business
                                     struction    tation      sale   Services
    Networking                          27%          9%       26%       17%
    Help Desk/End- User
     Support                             3%         23%       10%        7%
    Internet/Intranet
     Development                        15%         22%       11%       15%
    Applications Development            16%         10%       15%        7%
    Data/Database Management             4%          6%       14%       22%
    Project Management                  13%          3%        1%        8%
    Systems Analysis                     7%          5%        1%        1%
    No Growth                           11%          9%        3%        4%
    Other/Don't Know                     4%         13%       19%       19%


    1.  Mid-Atlantic:  NJ, NY, PA
    2.  West South Central:  AR, LA, OK, TX
    3.  Mountain:  AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY
    4.  East North Central:  IL, IN, MI, OH, WI


SOURCE Robert Half Technology
Web Site: http://www.rhii.com