HANOVER, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TEKsystems, the nation’s leading technology staffing and services company, today announced findings from its quarterly IT Executive Outlook survey, conducted in partnership with the Inavero Institute.
Of the 1,000 IT executive respondents in the U.S. and Canada, the majority expect IT project needs to increase over the next six months. To fill skill gaps related to these projects, leaders plan to utilize a variety of workforce planning methods. For skills that will be sourced outside of their companies, IT leaders should plan to face competition and growing IT salaries.
Top IT Initiatives
Fifty-seven percent of survey respondents cited an increase in IT project needs over the next six months. Top initiatives driving these needs include projects around Mobile Applications (54%), Virtualization (42%) and Business Intelligence (45%).
“As the economy improves and business confidence builds, the survey results suggest that companies are aggressively pursuing IT initiatives that do more than ‘keep the lights on,’” said TEKsystems Research Manager Tania Lavin. “The top strategic initiatives cited are those that enable business efficiencies and opportunities for competitive advantage as we emerge from a time when doing more with less was the imperative.”
Mind the Skill Gap
IT executives plan to fill skill gaps for about half of the projects cited in the survey by training existing staff. These projects include Private Cloud Computing, IP Telephony / VoIP, Unified Communications, Security and Mobile Applications. A temporary or contingent staffing model is expected to be utilized for Server Virtualization and Open Source Applications projects, while outsourcing will be the preference for Virtual Desktop and Business Intelligence projects.
“It is increasingly important that IT leaders carefully weigh the decision of when to train, hire, go contingent or outsource entirely,” Lavin said. “Regardless of the staffing model, organizations seeking top tier talent will need to prioritize workforce planning as a critical part of their roadmap. Progressive companies are realizing that decisions around the most efficient ways to staff different projects should be given as much focus as the initiative itself.”
IT Salaries
There is a strong correlation between increased project needs and expected increases in IT salaries, especially for the roles required to execute on the top strategic initiatives. Overall, nearly 60% of survey respondents expect to increase IT staff salaries in 2011, with the highest increases expected for Project Managers, Database Administrators and Enterprise Architects.
Lavin continued, “Attracting and retaining exceptional candidates to fill critical roles is paramount to the success of IT projects. Whether these skills are developed through training or acquired through an outsourced model, IT leaders can expect to pay more for these roles due to high demand for a limited pool of talent.”
About the IT Executive Outlook survey:
TEKsystems partners with the Inavero Institute to conduct a quarterly survey of more than 1,000 IT leaders in the U.S. and Canada. IT directors represented the majority of survey respondents at 39%, and IT executives made up 31% of responses. IT leaders represented all industries, regions and company sizes with 51% of responses from organizations that gross $1 billion or more annually. Download the full report here.
About TEKsystems:
TEKsystems® is the nation’s leading technology staffing and services company. Combining a proven track record of superior performance, a quality-focused approach to service delivery and the highest-caliber technical professionals in the market, TEKsystems helps our clients successfully plan, build and run their critical technology initiatives. With more than 25 years of experience, we annually deploy 70,000 technical professionals from 90 locations throughout North America, Europe and Asia.