Fourth quarter IT hiring outlook: The helpdesk is hot

Eleven percent of CIOs plan to add IT workers in the fourth quarter, 3 percent plan cuts and help desk and technical support are the hot categories as customer and user support trumps projects focused on growth.

Those are a few of the notable takeaways in an IT hiring and skills report from Robert Half Technology, a technology staffing firm.

Reading between the lines (statement) it appears that companies are working just as hard to keep customers and users happy as they are about acquiring new business. Indeed, 25 percent of the 1,400 CIOs surveyed said customer services and/or user support was the primary reason they were hiring IT staff. That's the first time since the second quarter of 2003 that support and service was the top priority. Twenty three percent of CIOs said business growth was the primary reason they were hiring in the fourth quarter with 21 percent citing new application development and installation.

Overall, the Robert Half survey reveals that IT workers aren't facing a boom market, but things aren't unraveling either. Compared to other industries a little status quo is a win.

Here's a look at a few key charts:

Helpdesk folks are en vogue followed by networking workers.

Network administration, Windows administration and desktop support were the top three skills in demand with at least 69 percent of CEOs citing those skills.

And the industries that are hiring in the fourth quarter.