Some 14 per cent of US chief information officers expect to hire IT staff in the third quarter of 2008, while only four per cent plan reductions, according to new research.

The latest Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report records a 10 per cent increase in hiring activity for the quarter.

The majority of respondents (82 per cent) anticipate no change in staffing levels in the summer months.

Technology executives at the largest companies (with 1,000 or more employees) expect the strongest staffing activity.

"While the forecast remains strong overall, a more cautious hiring climate prevails," said Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology.

"Employers want to ensure that business demands support full-time staff additions. Shorter-term initiatives are being completed on a project basis in some instances."

The largest companies are most confident about boosting staff levels in the coming months, the survey found.

One in five CIOs at firms with 1,000 or more employees expect to expand their teams, and six per cent anticipate personnel cutbacks. The net 14 per cent increase is four points above the national average.

Just over a third of CIOs polled at employers of this size said that business growth is the primary driver for hiring activity.

When CIOs were asked which technical skill set is needed most in their IT departments, the top response was Windows administration (Server 2000/2003), cited by 73 per cent of executives.

Desktop support was second, named by 71 per cent of those polled, while network administration (Lan, Wan) followed closely at 70 per cent.

The research was based on telephone interviews with more than 1,400 CIOs from companies across the US with 100 or more employees.