Hope and fear in the IT job market

An article in Datamation points out that although the IT job market appears to be improving, there's still a lot of uncertainty among IT professionals.

"From one day to the next, you didn't know if they were going to come in and drop the bomb on you or the guy next to you," says an IT professional at an $8 billion company based in the mid-West. "I guess things are getting a little better. There are more jobs out there now... but I'm nervous. I'm still insecure."

There is little doubt that, overall, the economy is improving, leading to better IT job prospects generally. But mergers, acquisitions, restructuring of positions, layoffs, and offshoring initiatives at individual firms still give IT professionals plenty of reasons polish their resumes.

The Hudson Employment Index, which measures worker confidence, fell 1.3 points this past December to 103.6, its lowest reading of 2004. Key contributing factors included a drop in worker ratings of personal finances and increased expectations of staff cuts. However, the Index has risen 3.6 points year over year, reflecting an overall improvement in worker outlook compared to December 2003.

The Hudson report also studies four other sectors: accounting, finance, healthcare and manufacturing. The report shows that IT was the least stable of all sectors studied, posting both the highest reading of worker confidence, along with the most dramatic stumbles. Hudson analysts attribute the wild fluctuations to the "volatile and unpredictable" outlook on the job market and employment issues.

Datamation has more on the current state of careers and job hunting in IT.

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