IT jobs expected to grow in Chicago, nationwide

The IT industry appears to have stabilized and could see some growth, especially in software and services, according to data released Thursday by Vernon Hills-based CDW Corp.'s IT Monitor, which surveys technology professionals nationwide.

The results parallel a reduction in job cuts and show how much better companies are doing now.

The August survey said about 10 percent of large companies said they may reduce IT staff in the next six months. That's down from 17 percent in February.

Also, the number of medium-size businesses planning to reduce staff fell to 7 percent, down from 9 percent in April.

"It was a tough environment for a while, but now companies are authorizing more projects and looking better," he said. "Small, medium and large companies alike all went up," said Mark Gambill, who compiles and studies the data at CDW.

The IT Monitor (www.cdwitmonitor.com) is based on an online survey of at least 1,000 IT decision makers from private and public companies nationwide.

The survey also showed in February, about 40 percent of the companies said they saw better performance in the next six months. When asked again in August, it rose to as high as 63 percent.

Most areas of the country, including Chicago and the suburbs, showed consistent results with the national outlook, he said.

"This area was very reflective to the national results," he said.

Surfing: LaFox-based Richardson Electronics Ltd. has launch the redesign of its Web site: www.rell.com, aimed at serving the global community of radio frequency, microwave and power conversion engineers. Richardson provides online resources for engineers to help improve design performance.

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