Twenty-five percent of Atlanta-area technology executives surveyed recently expect to expand their IT teams in the second half of 2016, according to the just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Forecast and Local Trend Report. This is a one-point increase from the previous six months and compares to 23 percent a year ago. In addition, 55 percent plan to hire only for open IT roles, 15 percent plan to put hiring plans on hold, and 5 percent expect to reduce their IT staffing levels in the last six months of the year.

"The IT hiring environment in Atlanta continues to move at a rapid pace — candidates with specialized skills don't stay on the market long and usually have several offers to consider. So, we're encouraging clients to move quickly when they need to hire," said Chris McCrea, Atlanta senior regional vice president for Robert Half Technology. "There is particularly strong demand for IT candidates in the healthcare and education industries, as businesses make Microsoft upgrades and continue their transition to cloud computing."

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 and Skills in Demand
Hiring challenges remain, as 59 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:

• Network administration (58 percent)

• Desktop support (55 percent)

• Wireless network management (53 percent)