Workforce growth tied to specific skills

Career prospects for IT professionals may be improving, according to a recent study by people3, a subsidiary of Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner. Of the 153 IT organizations that responded to inquiries about their hiring plans, 62 percent said they expected to add some IT staff over the next 12 months. More specifically, 47 percent of the organizations expected the IT workforce to increase between 1 percent and 5 percent. However, the same survey indicated that IT professionals shouldn't expect much movement in wages, with average salary increases expected to be roughly 3.2 percent through 2004. Workers who can fill certain positions or possess particularly hard-to-find skills (see tables below) might expect higher compensation.