Chief Information Officers

Employment for computer and information systems managers (including CIOs) is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2032, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. As consumers and industries become increasingly reliant on computers and information technology, and digital platforms, in general, the expertise of CIOs will be in continuous demand. As computer technology becomes more sophisticated and more complex, corporations will increasingly require information science (IS) professionals and management of information science (MIS) professionals capable of choosing among the ever-growing diversity of information technology options.

Employment growth will result from the need to bolster cybersecurity in computer and information systems used by businesses. Industries such as retail trade will work to develop and implement more rigorous security protections as cyber threats grow. The increasing utilization of artificial intelligence by businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies will fuel a need for CIOs who are knowledgeable about the pros and cons of the used of this technology in the workplace.

A number of CIO jobs are expected to be created in the healthcare industry, which is aggressively implementing information technology such as computerized patient healthcare records. This industry is expected to greatly increase IT use, resulting in job growth. Demand will also be strong in other industries. For example, employment of all IT managers is anticipated to grow 34.5 percent in the warehousing and storage industry.

Furthermore, as small organizations begin to prioritize information management, more jobs should be available for CIOs outside of large corporations. Because some of these jobs are likely to be at nonprofit and educational institutions, IS and MIS professionals may have greater options when choosing an employer. Although salaries can be expected to be lower at these sorts of organizations, they may provide interested employees with a less formal and more service-oriented atmosphere.

Finally, an increase in the use of cloud computing may result in firms outsourcing services from on-premise IT departments to cloud-computing companies. This will transfer IT services from IT departments in noncomputer industries, such as financial firms or schools, to firms concentrating on computer systems design and related services.