Nearly one-third of organizations plan to hire more IT staff next year, according to the 2019 State of IT Careers report released by Spiceworks, a network that includes millions of IT professionals. The report shows 29% of organizations plan to hire more IT staff in 2019, and cybersecurity skills are the most in demand.

While most companies surveyed, 59%, aren’t planning to build up their IT staff next year, Spiceworks noted that some companies may be focused on backfilling positions formerly held by IT pros who may have left the building in search of greener pastures.

Findings indicate large enterprises with more than 1,000 employees are more likely to increase their IT staff than smaller organizations, but they're often seeking specialty IT skills, such as expertise in AI technologies and cloud architectures.  

According to the report, total expected change in IT staff for 2019:

• Increase: 29%
• No change: 59%
• Decrease: 5%
• Don’t know: 8%

The top five IT skills organizations are seeking in 2019 are:

• IT security/cybersecurity: 47%
• Infrastructure hardware: 36%
• End-user hardware: 34%
• Networking solutions: 32%
• Software deployment: 27%

The survey also found 26% of IT professionals plan to find a new employer next year, 8% plan to leave the IT field for a new career, 6% plan to move into IT consulting, and 5% plan to retire. However, job plans vary significantly by age, with more millennial IT professionals planning to find a new employer in 2019 than Gen Xers or baby boomers. Millennials are also more likely to expect a raise and promotion from their current employers next year. 

Among the IT professionals seeking a new employer next year, the survey found most, 62%, are seeking a better salary; 52% are looking for more opportunities to advance their IT skills, and 36% are looking for a better work/life balance. When comparing generations, millennials are more likely to seek a new employer to get more job training, work at a company with a bigger IT budget, and find a better job title.

The survey was conducted by Spiceworks in July 2018 and included 1,000 respondents from North America and Europe. Respondents are among IT professionals in Spiceworks.