Next quarter should see an uptick in tech hiring, according to CIOs surveyed by recruiter Robert Half Technology. The number of executives who plan to fill open positions rose by 9 percentage points from the third quarter forecast, to 65 percent. Adding to the upbeat outlook, the number of CIOs who plan to put hiring on hold dropped by 7 points, to 19 percent. This bullish outlook is further reflected in the CIOs’ confidence that their companies face strong growth prospects: 86 percent feel that optimism. Additionally, 64 percent say they’re somewhat or very confident that their companies will invest in IT projects during the year’s last three months. Megan Slabinski, RHT District President for the San Francisco Bay Area, notes that companies often initiate infrastructure changes and year-end projects during the fourth quarter. That can lead to a boost in hiring. John Reed, RHT Senior Executive Director, noted that, "IT hiring managers remain selective when hiring, but know they need to move fast to acquire top talent in hot specialty areas such as networking and help desk support." While CIOs are moving forward to fill job openings, they are not dramatically expanding their existing tech workforce. The percentage who plan to add to their departments edged down 1 point to 11 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with 12 percent in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the percentage of CIOs who plan to cut their staff contracted slightly, pulling back to 5 percent from the third quarter’s 6 percent.