CareerBuilder’s annual job forecast reveals how employers plan to recruit and retain more IT workers in 2013.

In things-you-probably-already-knew news, a new survey reveals that IT professionals are in high demand this year. I know, right? I’ll give you a second to pick your jaws up from off the floor…

Anyway, according to CareerBuilder’s annual hiring forecast, 42 percent of hiring managers plan to add full-time, permanent IT employees in 2013, up four percentage points over 2012.

The nationwide survey of more than 180 IT hiring managers and human resource professionals and more than 240 IT workers across company sizes, also revealed that employers are also willing to pay higher salaries and spring for more training this year.

Below are a few other gems about 2013 IT hiring and recruiting trends the survey uncovered:

1. Full-time hiring is up. Yay! (Unfortunately, so is downsizing. Boo!): While 42 percent of employers plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in 2013 (as opposed to 38 percent last year), 10 percent plan to decrease headcount (up from 7 percent last year).
2. Temporary and contract hiring is the new black: Fifty-two percent of employers plan to hire temporary and contract workers in 2013, up from 49 percent last year.  Among these employers, 47 percent plan to transition some temporary workers into full-time, permanent employees over the next 12 months.
3. If there’s one thing IT employees love, it’s their jobs: Seventy-two percent of workers currently in IT report being satisfied with their job, higher than any other industry, and only 15 percent said they plan on switching jobs in the coming year.

How IT Employers are Navigating the Skills Gap in 2013

CareerBuilder’s survey also provided insight into what companies are doing to both get qualified talent in the door – and retain the talent they have currently. Below are three ways employers plan to avoid or overcome a skills gap this year:

1. No more waiting by the phone:Survey results indicate that when it comes to recruiting, some employers are taking recruitment into their own hands: One-in-four IT workers (26 percent) reported they have been approached to work for another company in the last year when they didn’t apply for a position with that organization.
2. Upping the ante: Clearly, employers are hoping money talks when it comes to recruitment. According to the survey, 75 percent of employers plan to increase compensation for existing employees–up from 71 percent last year –while 54 percent plan to offer higher starting salaries for new IT employees – up significantly from 42 percent last year.  Most increases will be 4 percent or less.
3. Taking matters into their own hands:Employers who can’t find candidates with the right skills are taking measures to “re-skill” workers themselves. Thirty-six percent of IT employers plan to train people who don’t have experience in IT and hire them for positions within their organizations, up from 34 percent last year.

Tell us: Do these results surprise you? What about your experience? Do you find it harder or easier to find qualified IT talent this year than in previous years?