Two-thirds of companies in the United States use IT contractors to help overcome shortages in talent, according to research from Experis, part of ManpowerGroup. That's lower than the global average, which came in at 71 percent.

The country with the lowest reliance on IT contractors is Germany, at 40 percent, and the highest is India, at 87 percent. Most contractors are brought in to help with development solutions and infrastructure services, the research reveals.

There may be more contracting in the future, as one of five U.S. employers says it's planning to increase its use of IT contractors. And that's not only in-country, either. The research found that the United States, among other countries, readily hires employees from outside its borders. U.S. companies only hire in-country to the tune of 40 percent of their IT employees, along with the United Kingdom at 30 percent, and France and Italy at 36 percent. Other countries, such as Germany (63 percent), India (62 percent), and Australia (58 percent), rely more heavily on in-country IT hiring.

The leaders surveyed by Experis explained some of the benefits of using contract work, as well as some of the frustrations. For instance, the good: cost effectiveness, flexibility, and the ability to use experts only when necessary. And the not-so-good: long training times, contractors may be looking for a long-term relationship with the staff who won't be there, and permanent employees are more invested in the company.