New projects were the key drivers of demand for IT professionals across New Zealand in the last six months, according to the latest report from specialist recruitment consultancy Robert Walters.

The study claims there was high demand for IT professionals including business analysts, project managers and architects, while technical roles were less busy.

In the next six months, enterprise and solutions architects will remain in high demand, due to the fact that many projects are still in the planning stages and in desperate need of these kinds of skills.

“In terms of salaries, we are seeing technical roles such as developers, engineers and testers hold reasonably steady, with the high-demand areas of business analysis and architecture seeing an increase of around 10 to 15 per cent," says Adam Barratt, IT Manager, Robert Walters.

Robert Walters also conducted a national survey of 650 New Zealand hiring managers on their recruitment strategies for the next six months.

The Hiring Intentions Survey found that:

* 39% of IT hiring managers are less likely to hire in the next six months compared to the last six months, while 16% of hiring managers are more likely to hire

* 52% of IT hiring managers said wages will increase in the next six months compared to the last six months, 47% said salaries will remain the same and 1% said salaries will decrease

* 70% of hiring managers who are looking to hire will be seeking mid-level professionals