Attention job hunters: It's EZ for IT near DC

A rise in government-related hirings has ignited some activity in another sector: IT. The federal budget for tech services, software upgrades, security and the like is scheduled to expand by 3.5% through 2014 or so; stimulus money will add some $15 billion to sales figures through 2012. And like government agencies, companies everywhere -- while not exactly racing to increase their IT budgets just yet -- do realize that spending on tech infrastructure now will end up saving them money in the long run.

This translates into much more work for regional firms, according to The Washington Post. The paper cited several Virginia and Maryland companies that, in total, offer hundreds of opportunities for IT candidates. Platinum Solutions (which has four new recruitment staffers) and CACI have openings: 30 and 200 at any time (respectively). Computer Sciences Corporation plans to bring 300 people on board this year. And one of the largest employers around, Lockheed Martin, has consistently taken on 16,000 workers annually over the past several years (and bumped up its roster of internships by 30%).

The one downside: With truckloads of experienced candidates available, salaries are trending a little lower than in pre-recession times.

--Posted by Todd Obolsky, Vault Staff Writer