According to a recent Dice survey, 65 percent of internet technology hiring managers plan to add workers in the coming year. Furthermore, 42 percent expect payroll services to raise salaries for new hires in 2012.
"It's the best time I've seen in years for people with IT skill sets to go find their dream jobs," Matt McGee, vice president of technical staffing services at Pomeroy, told Fierce CIO.
This news continues the IT professions' momentum from 2011, when the number of available positions rose by 12 percent. What's more, unemployment in the sector dropped to 2.7 percent in November.
Because of the increasing number of opportunities, some companies may be at risk of having their best workers poached by firms willing to pay more, notes Elizabeth Sias, recruiting manager at Randstad.
"If their company isn't willing to give them the increase they are looking for, they know they can move to another company and get … another $10,000 a year," she told Fierce CIO.
The most sought-after skills include Java, .Net, mobile application development, virtualization, cloud computing, project management and business analytics. Most openings require at least six years of experience, although some are also available in the two-to-five-year range.