CIOs in high demand
Toronto — Nine per cent of chief information officers (CIOs) interviewed for the Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report plan to add full-time information technology (IT) staff in the first quarter, while two per cent anticipate personnel reductions.
The net seven per cent hiring increase compares with a net 10 per cent forecast one year ago.
The poll includes responses from more than 270 CIOs from a stratified random sample of Canadian companies with 100 or more employees. It was conducted by an independent research firm and developed by Robert Half Technology, a provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis.
PC market gets a boost
Framingham, Mass. — IDC is forecasting continued double-digit growth for the personal computer market in 2006.
According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker report, the research firm predicts that growth will be driven by the strength of the low-cost and portable PC market. IDC also reported that this market will balance the impact of fewer PC replacements and slower economic growth this year. The news isn’t so great for PCs in Japan, but all other markets are expected to grow.
Best and worst online shopping
San Francisco — Blast Radius, a customer experience innovation firm, issued a report identifying the best and worst online shopping experiences based on an independent evaluation of the 90 retail sites.
The report’s key findings indicate that online retailers are currently struggling with the customer experience. Overall lack of innovation, failure to take the needs of customers into account, and bad delivery across all channels were the problems.