Senior executives at manufacturers, distributors, retailers and other types of businesses in the United States and Canada are planning to add to their I.T. staffs this year, driven largely by plans to expand staffs dedicated to e-commerce and social media operations, research firm Janco Associates says.

“Online commerce and social media—that’s where we see the most activity now,” Janco CEO Victor Janulaitis says. “Increased demand for I.T. professions remains firm with more hiring on tap for at least several months.”

Janco notes that companies in the U.S. and Canada have already generated 11,800 new I.T. jobs so far this year, and forecasts another 124,700 jobs generated throughout the rest of the year, reaching a total of 136,500. That will result in a 90% increase over the number of new I.T. jobs—71,900—generated last year.

The research firm attributes the increase to a “positive outlook for job growth.” It says many executives have confidence in a stronger economy under the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump boosted by such expectations as lower taxes and increased spending on infrastructure. In addition, Janco says possible constraints on international trade under the Trump administration will likely result in more emphasis on relying on U.S.-based I.T. firms, causing them to increase hiring of I.T. professionals.

Janulaitis notes that most of the hiring activity is at small and mid-size companies. He says manufacturers are not yet hiring at the pace of other types of businesses, but are expecting to add I.T. jobs if the economy improves, as many feel it will. “Small and midsized businesses are actively looking for experienced managers who will be able to manage the increased technology initiatives they feel will be started in the next two quarters,” he says.

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Janco based its recent findings on interviews with more than 135 chief information officers as part of its survey of I.T. salaries.

Janco provided the following median salaries for I.T. professionals at large companies in 2016/2017:

Executives, $147,260/$155,807, up 5.80%;

Middle managers, $84,335/$88,339, up 4.75%;

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Staff, $85,486/$89,817, up 5.07%.

Janco provided the following median salaries for I.T. professionals at midsize companies in 2016/2017:

Executives, $131,384/$135,608, up 3.22%;

Middle managers, $78,729/$83,805, up 6.45%;

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Staff, $66,585/$69,996, up 5.12%.

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