First published in 1995, the Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report is a tool to measure the optimism of chief information officers (CIOs) regarding the coming quarter's hiring outlook in information technology (IT) and is conducted by an independent research firm. The numbers represent the percentages of CIOs expecting to add IT staff and those planning personnel reductions. To calculate the net increase, the percentage of CIOs expecting to reduce staff is subtracted from the percentage planning to hire.

The national study is based on more than 1,400 telephone interviews with CIOs from a random sample of U.S. companies with 100 or more employees. For the study to be statistically representative and ensure that businesses from all segments are represented, the sample is stratified by geographic region, industry and employee size. The results are then weighted to reflect the proper proportions of employee size within each region. The margin of error for this study is +/-2.6 percent at the 95 percent level of confidence.

View the most recent national IT Hiring Index and Skills Report.

The local results reflect a two-quarter rolling average based on interviews with 200 CIOs in each area from companies with 100 or more employees. The two-quarter rolling average takes into account data trends for two consecutive quarters, weighting most heavily on the current quarter's data. Each quarter includes responses from 100 CIOs (for a total of 200 respondents). This method of reporting data serves to smooth out potential large fluctuations and minimize sudden dips or spikes that may not be typical of the local trends.