Fourteen percent of Atlanta-area technology executives surveyed recently expect to expand their IT teams in the first half of 2017, according to the just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report. In addition, 74 percent plan to hire only for open IT roles, 8 percent plan to put hiring plans on hold, and 4 percent expect to reduce their IT staffing levels in the first six months of the year. Hiring is not all technology leaders are thinking about, as 29 percent said upgrading existing systems for business efficiency is their most top-of-mind concern for the first half of 2017, while maintaining the security of their IT systems and safeguarding company information followed closely with 25 percent of the response.

Top Concerns for CIOs
To further understand the priorities of Atlanta CIOs for the upcoming year, they were asked, "In addition to recruitment, which of the following do you anticipate will be top-of-mind for you in the next six months?" Their responses:

• Upgrading existing systems (29 percent)

• Maintaining security of IT systems/safeguarding company information (25 percent)

• Investing in new technologies (17 percent)

• Staff retention (15 percent)

• Helping grow the business (14 percent)

"In Atlanta, we're seeing strong demand for technology professionals with experience in cloud, big data and anything related to mobile — particularly in the technology, healthcare and financial services industries," said David Sheehan, branch manager for Robert Half Technology in Atlanta. "One factor contributing to the demand for IT professionals in 2017 will be the continued influx of large corporations moving operations to the area and expanding their footprint locally."

Hiring forecasts are based on interviews with more than 2,500 CIOs from 25 major U.S. markets who were asked to provide a six-month hiring outlook.

Recruiting Challenges & Skills in Demand
Hiring challenges remain, as 66 percent of CIOs said it's somewhat or very challenging to find skilled IT professionals today. The skills in greatest demand within their organizations, according to respondents, include:

• Wireless network management (48 percent)

• Database management (47 percent)

• Network administration (44 percent)