Chistiana Ratti is a help desk support and software trainer who's been unemployed since October. Living about 15 miles outside of Baltimore in Parkville, Md., she's not having the easiest time finding the right job. On average, she can cull two or three want ads that fit her skills, which focus on fixing software bugs or helping end users learn and understand specific software within a company process.
"For every three jobs that I find, two get filled in other ways," Ratti says. "Recently, a few jobs fit my background and they either were filled internally or were put on hold. Everyone just seems cautious."
The Baltimore area is home to several major medical and research institutions - such as Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland - which make up some of Maryland's top private employers. According to the Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills report, about 12 percent of the 1,400 CIOs surveyed say they intend to increase their information technology or IT personnel staff during the first quarter of 2009. Four percent of the respondents plan to decrease IT staff.
According to Half's report, the area in IT that's most in demand is help desk and technical support. Twenty six percent of the CIOs surveyed say the area experiencing the most job growth. The second IT job skill most in demand is database management, which came in at 11 percent. That seems to fall in line with what Ratti has been seeing during her job search. "I see a lot of help desk and desktop support, meaning IT professionals to set up laptops and security permissions, etc," she says.
As far as verticals, recruiters say they are seeing bright spots in healthcare, government contractors and educational services. Renee Whalen, district president for Robert Half Technology's Greater Washington/Baltimore area, says her firm expects these industries to remain strong into 2009. Over the last several quarters, she's noted demand for system integrators, particularly those with server virtualization and .NET skills. Desktop support and networking expertise also remain in demand.
"Companies are spending money for systems that will save them money," Whalen says. "We're also seeing companies that are upgrading their systems."
Unemployment in the Baltimore region is 4.6 percent. Defense-related and other federal spending are expected to continue to stimulate the local economy. The latest U.S. Census Bureau data shows overall federal spending in Maryland totaled just over $70 billion during fiscal 2007, of which $21 billion went to contractors. Whalen says this has been a stabilizing force in the state's economy. "It is the equivalent to three quarters of Maryland's budget,” she says.
However, there are signs the recession is impacting the local economy. A heightened emphasis on cost-efficiency has prompted hiring managers to become increasingly selective about the IT programs and personnel in which they invest, Whalen says.
=======Chistiana Ratti is a help desk support and software trainer who's been unemployed since October. Living about 15 miles outside of Baltimore in Parkville, Md., she's not having the easiest time finding the right job. On average, she can find two or three want ads that fit her skills, which focus on fixing software bugs or helping end users learn and understand specific software within a company process.
"For every three jobs that I find, two get filled in other ways," Ratti says. "Recently, a few jobs fit my background, and they either were filled internally or were put on hold. Everyone just seems cautious."
The Baltimore area is home to several major medical and research institutions - such as Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland - which make up some of Maryland's top private employers. According to the Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills report, about 12 percent of the area's CIOs intend to increase their IT staff during 2009's first quarter. Only 4 percent plan to decrease IT staff.
On Dice, job postings in the Baltimore area rose through the fourth quarter, reaching just more than 1,900 at the end of November 2008.
According to Half's report, the area most in demand is help desk and technical support. Twenty six percent of the region's CIOs say that's the area experiencing the most job growth. The skill next in most demand is database management, say 11 percent of Baltimore's CIOs. That seems to fall in line with what Ratti has been seeing during her job search. "I see a lot of help desk and desktop support, meaning IT professionals to set up laptops and security permissions, etc," she says.
As far as verticals, recruiters see bright spots in healthcare, government contracting and educational services. Renee Whalen, district president for Robert Half Technology's offices in the greater Washington/Baltimore area, expects these sectors to remain strong into 2009. Over the last several quarters, she's noted demand for system integrators, particularly those with server virtualization and .NET skills. Desktop support and networking expertise also remain in demand.
"Companies are spending money for systems that will save them money," Whalen says. "We're also seeing companies that are upgrading their systems."
Overall unemployment in the Baltimore region is just 4.6 percent. Defense-related and other federal spending are expected to continue to stimulate the local economy. The latest U.S. Census Bureau data shows overall federal spending in Maryland totaled just over $70 billion during fiscal 2007, of which $21 billion went to contractors. Whalen says this has been a stabilizing force. "It is the equivalent to three quarters of Maryland's budget,” she points out.
However, there are signs the recession is impacting the area. A heightened emphasis on cost-efficiency has prompted hiring managers to become increasingly selective about the IT programs and personnel in which they invest, Whalen says.
>>>>>>> 1.3"To keep projects on track and labor costs in check, many are using contractors on a more frequent basis, and bringing in full-time professionals only when there is an ongoing need," she observes. "At the same time, companies realize they must move quickly to secure professionals with in-demand skills or risk losing them to competing firms."
Some firms are trying a contract-to-hire approach, bringing in IT professionals to work on a specific project before offering them a full-time position. That allows businesses to ensure someone is a good fit before extending an offer, Whalen notes. It also allows staff members to gauge whether or not they're a good fit at a particular company.
Until now, Baltimore has been trying to earn its place in the high-tech corridor that runs through eastern Maryland to Washington, D.C., and into tech-heavy suburban Virginia. Between 2000 and 2007, Baltimore added about 70,000 net new jobs, according to the Baltimore Sun. The Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore's IT Report says the region ranked second in the country in for total information technology employment, with nearly 270,000 employed in the industry.
The report also found the area, which historically was a manufacturing and distribution hub, has been transitioning to one of the healthiest tech markets in the U.S. Since 2000, the Baltimore-Washington region added about 111,000 jobs in IT, making it first in growth throughout the U.S.
Baltimore's Job Postings Are Up. |
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