The job drought that has plagued information-technology workers since the dot-com bust in 2000 finally appears to be ending.
Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the Chicago outplacement-services company, said job cuts in the country's high-tech sector declined 40 percent in the first quarter of this year, compared with a year ago. It was the fourth consecutive quarter with year-to-year declines, the company said.
"Some businesses may in fact regret some of the job cuts they made in recent years," said John Challenger, the company's chief executive.
Information-technology workers themselves are optimistic about their employment prospects. The monthly Hudson Employment Index, compiled by the staffing company Hudson Highland Group in Manhattan, said the optimism among information-technology workers in the United States rose 10.4 points to 115 in March on factors such as hiring expectations and perceived job security.
The computer jobs with the hottest prospects include network-systems analysts, database administrators and computer software engineers, said Gary Huth, a labor market analyst with the New York State Labor Department.
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