When it comes to hiring qualified IT professionals, a large portion of U.S. companies want more highly skilled workers, <A HREF="http://www.midmarket.eweek.com/c/a/News/Security-Tops-List-of-MostWanted-MostLacking-IT-Skills/?kc=EWKNLEDP022908D">especially in the areas of security,</A> networking and operating systems. That's the conclusion from a new study from CompTIA (the Computing Technology Industry Association), an industry group dedicated to IT. The study surveyed more than 3,500 IT professionals from around the world.

For established countries like the United States, security was by far the most important skill requested, and the skill most likely to be lacking. The study found that while 73 percent considered security skills like firewalls and data privacy most important, only 57 percent considered those skills adequate. Other security skills considered critical included data protection, regulatory compliance and identity management.