| January 2007 |
 |
| Intense first-quarter hiring is predicted across all industries |
|
| In Washington D.C., it's only natural that any discussion of the IT marketplace begins with a discussion of the federal government and its enormous ecosystem of contractors. IT industry observer and journalist Brad Grimes has watched the D.C. IT sector with interest for ten years. "Over the last several years, and especially since 9/11, the government's spending on information technology has steadily increased, and it's turning to a pretty healthy IT contractor community to get the job done," he said. "There are projections that the government's $60 to $70 billion IT budget will be down next year, but there are still enough high-profile, multi-year projects to keep contractors busy. And these days everyone has an IT services arm around here, from known quantities like IBM to defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman."
|
|
Can you expect to get a slice of that $60 billion? Although overall D.C. unemployment is holding steady at around 5.9%, there is hiring going on. Washington D.C.-area employers expect to hire at a vigorous pace during the first quarter of 2007, according to the most recent Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. From January to March, a whopping 59% of the companies interviewed plan to hire more employees. “Employers are also significantly more optimistic about hiring than they were a year ago, when only 17% of companies surveyed thought job gains were likely," said Manpower spokesman Charles Ray.
IT staffing consultancy Robert Half Technology, whose first-quarter IT Hiring Index was just released, found that an outstanding 25% of D.C. CIOs plan to make new hires this quarter, far exceeding the national average of 16%. Those are optimistic numbers.
|
|
| "The federal government itself could use an infusion of good IT talent" |
| - Brad Grimes, IT industry observer and journalist |
|
At Dice, IT job listings held steady throughout 2006, with a slight seasonal dip in the fourth quarter. "With its unique blend of public and private sector opportunities, there are always good places to look for tech jobs in D.C.," said Scot Melland, CEO of Dice. "Job seekers should keep an open mind and look to both arenas when planning a career move." Note that salaries are on the rise. The 2006 Dice Salary Survey found that IT salaries in the region were up 5.71% over 2005 to $79,911.
Ed Estelle, area manager for IT recruiter Sapphire Technologies, had a few suggestions as to the strongest industries. "IT is, and will continue to be, strong within the financial markets," he said. "Increased emphasis on the healthcare industry as well as the privatization of Medicare should lead to an increased need for new systems and applications to support that rapidly growing area. And considerable focus and funding in support of Homeland Security should boost work with the federal integrators considerably." Estelle said he saw strong demand for project managers, business analysts, data warehousing experts, and front-end architects and developers with Java and J2EE experience.
Local IT expert James Howard pointed to web development, database programming, and .NET development as hot skills, along with Sarbanes-Oxley expertise. "The job opportunities are tremendous. It's the best move that I have ever made as far as relocation is concerned."
According to Grimes, basic demographic shifts are also starting to come into play. "The federal government itself could use an infusion of good IT talent," he said. "A lot of the talk inside the Beltway is about an overall brain drain in government as a flood of careerists, including IT pros, are expected to retire in the coming years. Government agencies are keen to attract smart, young IT professionals to fill the void, although it's not always easy. Working for the government isn't always as glamorous as working in the private sector. And there's sometimes a perception that it doesn't pay as well, although that's not always the case."
As Sapphire's Estelle put it, "The Washington D.C. marketplace is, and will continue to be, the strongest, most diverse job market within IT in the country. The trend of too little talent for too many positions will continue."
If you would like to be interviewed for the next Dice market report, or if you have comments about this article, please contact us at feedback@dice.com.
|
|
|
