Techies still hunting new jobs despite recession

Despite the increasingly tough economic outlook, it seems IT workers are still hoping to land a new job.

While high-profile tech companies are continuing to announce significant layoffs, nine out of 10 job-hunting techies aren't planning to put their search for a new position on hold, claims a survey conducted by a recruitment website.

Half of those questioned said they are looking for better career opportunities, and just under half said they plan to job hunt in order to earn more money.

Nearly two-thirds of IT job hunters said they plan to develop their technical skills through a new role, and more than half believe a career change would help to improve their work/life balance.

Alex Farrell, managing director of The IT Job Board, which carried out the research, said she was surprised by how many techies plan to look for new work in the year ahead, added it's positive to see the sector's employees don't think the economic downturn will have a major impact on career opportunities. The company surveyed 362 of the IT professionals on its books.

Some workers may be feeling too comfortable to start job hunting, however - a separate study recently claimed that systems analysts and software engineers have some of the least stressful jobs around.