The IT Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. technology workers, showed a positive uptick in confidence from 47.3 to 52.0 in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to a recent online survey, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Technisource. 

Showing some much needed signs of recovery, the survey of 3,721 U.S. adults, among which 246 are employed in information technology, denotes the return of positive confidence levels (above 50) amongst IT professionals. The increase in IT professionals' confidence in the economy was largely led by a perception of more jobs being available and an increased ability to get those new jobs. 

Mirroring this increase in confidence is a decreased belief that IT pros will lose their jobs within the next 12 months. Results from the Q4 IT Employment Report include:

° In this survey, IT professionals demonstrated a spike in confidence in the overall economy, with 22% now believing the economy is getting stronger, up nine percentage points from Q3 2011.

° Eighteen percent of respondents believe that more IT jobs are now available (up seven percentage points from the previous quarter), although those believing fewer jobs exist remains steady at 56%.

° Forty-two percent of respondents are confident in their ability to find a new job, up two percentage points from the previous quarter. 

° IT professionals remain very confident in the future of their current employer, increasing slightly to 63% this quarter.

° Of those surveyed, only 16% believe they're likely to lose their job. A full 70% believe they're not likely to lose their present position.

"With the demand for IT professionals steadily increasing, I am pleased to see that confidence amongst US IT workers is rising once again," said Andrew Speer, president of technology solutions for Technisource. "We are seeing great demand for project managers, analytics professionals and .NET application developers, showing that companies are opening their budgets and embracing technology implementation.  While our survey showed no change in the number of tech professionals looking to actively seek out new employment, it is still one third of the workforce keeping their eyes open and it remains critical to focus on your current IT teams in order to mitigate unnecessary hiring and re-training costs."

The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Technisource (http://www.technisource.com) from Oct. 10-12 and Nov. 14-16 and Dec, 12-14, 2011, among 3,721 adults ages 18 and older of which 246 are employed in IT. Technisource, one of the largest technology talent and services providers in North America, provides a suite of technology services, including recruiting and staffing, assessments, project services and managed services to Fortune corporations, mid-sized companies and small organizations.

-- Dennis Sellers