Technology companies plan to hire new staff over the next 12 months but are concerned about a persistent shortage of tech talent, according to the second annual National Survey of Technology, Policy and Strategic Issues released today by the Technology Councils of North America.

Of the 1,700-plus c-level executives surveyed, 63 percent said they intend to hire new staff over the next 12 months. Small companies (74 percent) and midsize firms (72 percent) are the most optimistic on hiring.

At the same time, 69 percent of executives perceive a shortage in the quantity and quality of tech talent available to them, and one quarter say the shortage is "significant."

“Companies are feeling better about business conditions, but the talent shortage issue has the potential to sidetrack growth,"” said Steven G. Zylstra, TECNA chairman and president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Technology Council.

The talent shortage perception is greatest in the Midwest and West, where 72 percent of respondents said there's a shortage. The Northeast and South were slightly lower at 67 percent and 65 percent, respectively.

TECNA, a non-profit trade association of regional technology organizations, conducted the online survey in September in partnership with CompTIA. It included 1,763 senior IT, technology and business executives belonging to one of the regional technology associations affiliated with TECNA.