Human Resources

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Canadian information technology groups can't seem to get IT right. A new report conducted by market research firm Info-Tech Research Group says 95 per cent of information technology groups ''are not delivering some number of projects on time or to the full satisfaction of the business executive.''

About an hour west of Toronto lies an area that has spawned some of the most successful technology companies in North America: Waterloo region. As a result, it has become a captive destination for venture capital investment. The latest milestone in this investment bonanza is a $50 million venture capital fund from Waterloo, On.-based Tech Capital Partners Inc. aimed at giving the region's tech startups a leg up.

In recent years, the IT job market has been racked by cycles of boom and bust, with demand for hot IT skills flaring and fizzling. The nature and composition of the IT sector is changing, and there are many factors to consider to gain a real understanding of the outlook for 2005 and beyond.

Half of the Fortune 500 companies have dealt with at least one incident related to computer pornography in the workplace over the past 12 months, according to a survey released in June. Corporations are taking the problem seriously; survey respondents said that those responsible were fired in 44 per cent of the cases and disciplined in 41 per cent.

IT hiring and tech research appears to be on the upswing. In June, the Waterloo (Ontario) Region