While a number of recent reports indicated that job growth is expected to increase in 2012, a recent study by TechServe Alliance, an IT services group that advocates for ethics within the industry, found that the number of new hires in this sector of the economy increased during the month of December.
In total, the research group's monthly index of IT jobs indicated that 15,300 new IT jobs were added during this 30-day period. This marked a 0.4 percent increase from the amount observed at the end of November, and a 3.3 percent year-over-year increase from those observed in December 2011.
"As we begin 2012, I am heartened to see accelerating growth in IT employment," Mark Roberts, CEO of TechServe Alliance, said in a news release. "Based upon both the data and anecdotal reports of my members companies, one of our greatest challenges going forward will be a shortage of IT talent in key skill sets."
Overall, the rate of IT employment outpaced the levels seen in the U.S. job market. According to TechServe Alliance, job growth in the overall American economy only increased 1 percent from 2010 to 2011, though this marked an improvement from the slight decline the organization observed from 2009 to 2010.
In order to better compete for these new IT jobs, individuals who are unemployed or seeking a new, more rewarding full-time position may want to enroll in online courses from certified instructors that can provide them with a Cisco or Oracle certification. By choosing to work with a service that provides comprehensive course catalogs that can help them keep up with technology trends in the industry, job seekers may be able to find the tools they need to get ahead and take advantage of the market.