Almost half of IT bosses across Australia have plans to hire staff in the first three months of 2013, according an employment trends report released overnight by recruiter, Hudson.
The Hudson Report: Employment Trends claimed IT employers were the most positive about job prospects with 43.1 per cent indicating hiring intentions in Q1, 2013 up 11.2 per cent on Q4, 2012.
The report attributed this increase to investment in innovation, improved customer engagement, better business processes and productivity.
The recruiter reiterated the Australian Computer Society’s claim last December that around 12,300 new ICT jobs were expected to be available in the year to February 2013.
Meanwhile, the hiring intentions of Australian employers across all industries are mixed. More than half (59.6 per cent) intend to keep staffing levels steady while 24.7 per cent want to employ more workers.
By state, employers in the ACT, NSW and Victoria reported small increases in hiring intentions of 5.7 per cent to 30.3 per cent, 0.7 per cent to 27 per cent and 1.2 per cent to 22.6 per cent quarter-on-quarter respectively.
Queensland reported the biggest drop in hiring expectations, down 5.8 per cent to 18.6 per cent of all employers while South Australia was down 1.2 per cent to 22.6 per cent.
By sector, resources reported the biggest drop in hiring intentions, down 12.1 per cent quarter-on-quarter, which was having a “significant flow on effect” for other industries including engineering and construction, professional services, healthcare (excluding government) and utilities.
Correction, 17 January: This article originally stated that only tech firms were hiring this quarter rather than all IT employers.