CIOs are planning to hire in early 2011. But the majority of IT leaders say they struggle to find the talent they need. What is the new state of IT hiring?

In the past year or so, CIOs have repeatedly told me something that I found striking: They’re having a hard time finding qualified candidates for open positions.

It’s hard to imagine that, given the buyer’s market for talent these days. Hordes of unemployed IT pros are ready and willing to take new jobs, and companies have all the leverage on salary. So it should be pretty simple, right?

Wrong.

Countless CIOs have said they can’t find the right talent. Sure, they get tons of resumes for open positions, but those applicants don’t meet the stated job requirements.

The skills-gap debate is a long, detailed one, and we’ll get into that more in 2011. It should be good timing to re-energize the discussion, given a new report from Robert Half Technology. The IT staffing firm’s “IT Hiring Index and Skills Report” for the first quarter of 2011 found that 54 percent of CIOs say it’s very or somewhat challenging to find desired talent.

Meanwhile, the report finds that hiring will go up markedly in the first quarter. More jobs, but less talent? What’s a CIO to do? Check out the story – Reed offers some detailed tips for recruiting potential stars.

And tell us your thoughts on available IT talent. Are you having trouble finding the right people to meet your needs?

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