HOLLAND ? More than half of West Michigan’s small companies say they will hire new information technology personnel before July, Paragon Recruiting reported in its Technology Employment Forecast for the first half of 2005.
Fifty-two percent of companies employing less than 50 people expect to hire new IT staff during the first half of 2005, up from 28 percent last year. Among companies of all sizes, 27 percent expect to increase IT staffing, continuing the trend seen in the overall Forecast.
Outsourcing also continues to rise. Forty five percent of all companies planned to outsource in 2005. About a quarter of those projects will be done locally. Not surprisingly, then, 63 percent of the computer consulting firms reported plans to hire IT staff.
“Our forecast covers a very specific portion of the job market, so our results compliment those of other projections such as those by Manpower or William-Charles,” said Beth DeWilde, owner of Paragon Recruiting.
The most jobs will be available for Mid level professionals with Applications skills. Support jobs rank second, followed by Systems professionals.
IT Consulting will hire the most people, followed by Healthcare, Government, Schools, Professional Services, Retail/Wholesale, and Manufacturing.
Employers with 50 employees or less provide the greatest job opportunities, followed by employers employing more than 1,000, from 251 to 500, from 501 to 1,000, and from 51 to 100.
To read the full report, click on Paragon Recruiting
