The 2015 forecast for information technology hiring in Los Angeles looks promising.

A report from tech staffing firm Robert Half Technology found that 86 percent of L.A. chief information officers surveyed said they plan to hire to expand existing staffs or fill vacant positions in the coming year.

Roughly one out of five said they plan to add IT positions during the first half of next year. This is 10 points higher than projections made during the six-month period from June to December.

“The need to attract and engage online consumers is driving the demand for Web developers, programmers and network engineers who can help build and maintain high-traffic, user-friendly websites and Web applications,” Paul Flaharty, Robert Half Technology’s L.A. metro market manager, said in a statement.

Two-thirds of L.A.’s tech execs said it was challenging to find skilled IT professionals, particularly in software development, security and networking. Desktop support was the skill said to be in greatest demand, followed by database management and network administration.

The projections were based on interviews with chief information officers of 100 companies randomly chosen to proportionally represent the various-sized businesses in the L.A. area. Robert Half Technology has tracked IT hiring activity since 1995.

Staff reporter Melissah Yang can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @MelissahYang for the latest in L.A. tech news.