IT contractors contracting

It's no surprise that IT departments are being forced to cut their IT contractor workforce because of tight budgets and the slowing economy, as a new poll confirms. This is bad news for contractors and their employees, and a problem for IT departments that are in need of extra help or special expertise. Yet, there may be a silver lining.

This belt tightening may force IT departments to focus on the most important tasks at hand, while eliminating items from the agenda that are not as crucial. It could also mean the IT staff will have to learn new skills and dive into solving problems that would ordinarily be outsourced. This could result in less efficiency, a slower resolution of issues or perhaps even breakdowns in the short term. But it also could produce a more sophisticated, technically superior and more nimble internal staff that in the long run, which would be a benefit to the company and the IT workers themselves. Whatever the fallout, options may be limited because of cost constraints but IT departments and their employees will have to adapt and move forward, regardless. -Judi