But will there be enough skills out there to get the job done?

If this year has been any indication, skills shortages may push IT salaries up. According to the results of the fourth annual Harvey Nash Technology Survey, 53 percent of technology hiring managers around the globe reported skills shortages in 2015, up from 51 percent in 2014. That has led technology companies to drive up pay and incentives as tools to both retain their valuable contributors and recruit others.

“It’s hot out there,” said Jeremy MacBean, director of business development at Toronto-based solution provider IT Weapons. The talent pool is deep, he added, but “really competitive,” with senior-level people tough to find. On the other hand, MacBean added, the younger talent coming out of colleges in Ontario is strong, and IT Weapons, which invests a lot in professional development, has no second thoughts about bringing in junior-level people they can nurture through training.

Indeed, the Robert Half study says there continues to be a demand for senior-level technology professionals. That alone can apply upward pressure on asking salaries, which can hurt the efforts of smaller companies to hang onto their best people.