The IT Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. technology workers, declined to 51.7 in the second quarter of 2012, after peaking last wave at 58.8—its highest level in the last four and a half years. This decline mirrors other quarterly decreases seen across other industry sectors surveyed by Randstad, including healthcare, finance and accounting and engineering. This online survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Randstad Technologies and Technisource, included 223 employees in the technology industry.

The number of technology workers indicating that the economy is getting stronger dropped by nearly half in the second quarter of 2012. Additionally, IT workers indicating that more jobs are available dipped by 13 percentage points. However, technology workers continue to remain optimistic about their personal ability to find a new job and in their own job security.

"The decline in overall confidence levels of IT workers aligns with other recent U.S. news reports pointing to a slowdown in job creation. There is no doubt that technology workers are exercising caution when it comes to their sentiments around the economy," said Bob Dickey, EVP of Technologies at Randstad U.S. "However, when it comes to technology, skilled talent will always remain in high-demand and short supply. We are seeing software and user interface developers, as well as business system and EPIC analysts, continue to have their pick and choose of jobs right now. The long-term outlook for tech workers remains promising as the tech/telecom, financial activities, and healthcare sectors remain strong and employers pursue more aggressive project implementations—thus increasing the need for technology-related compliance solutions. Additionally, with the fast rate of technological advances, workers in this industry will benefit from, and should consider, contract or project assignments to remain marketable. In fact, hiring managers and HR executives are more inclined to utilize contingent labor than in years past, with technology temporary staffing projected to have the highest growth percentage increase out of all other industry segments at 12 percent from 2012 to 2013, according to Staffing Industry Analysts."

Q2, 2012 Survey Highlights:

IT Worker Confidence in the Economy Sharply Declines

• Technology professionals' confidence in the overall economy declined in the second quarter of 2012, with only 23 percent believing the economy is getting stronger, a 17 percentage point drop from last quarter. In fact, the same amount of workers (40 percent) who believed the economy is gaining strength, now believes the economy is weakening.

More Than Half of IT Workers Believe Fewer Jobs are Available

• Fifty-three percent of respondents believe that fewer IT jobs are now available, while only 19 percent believe there are more available jobs.

Tech Workers Remain Optimistic About their Employability

• Forty-four percent of IT workers reported feeling confident in their ability to find a new job—a two percentage point increase from the previous quarter.

IT Workers Remain Very Confident in their Own Job Security

• Over two thirds (71 percent) of IT workers reported that it is not likely they will lose their job in the next 12 months. This is up four percentage points from the first quarter of 2012.

Workers Hesitant to Job Hunt

• Fewer technology workers, 29 percent, are likely to look for new jobs compared to last quarter (41 percent).