The Information Technology job market seems to be heating up, this over the past several years, as the majority of ITech hiring professionals all agree that specialized programming skills will be the highest and first in line for the in-demand jobs. The majority of North American companies are slowly loosening their clenched grasps when it comes to IT hiring, as they all seem to be looking to slowly add new tech based personnel to bolster their business growth this year and beyond.
There seems to be a stronger hiring trend right across the board in the IT sector. This among organizations of all varying degrees, sizes and industries, this according to top technology staffing experts and IT recruiting firms across the nation. There’s been this pent-up demand for infrastructure improvement and upgrades, as well as venture based investments which has been put on hold during the past few years.
There’s an increase by IT managers who are gearing more towards innovation and not just keeping their “lights” on, as they’re planing on increasing their IT staff. As a result, there’s been a handful of specialized high technology skills which has been isolated as what will be in demand over the next several years.
The Top Emerging Information Technology Jobs
Application Development Programming
• There were close to 63% percent of companies who plans on hiring for this particular skill in the very near future, this up 47% percent from the previous year.
The demand in growth is for a variety of skill sets in areas such as website development, catering to mobile users and upgrading internal systems. Web development in particular continues to be extremely strong as there are companies who are trying to improve the end users experience. There will also be huge demand towards developing mobile based technologies which improves customer access from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs.
The development of mobile applications are especially a hot area in industries such as healthcare, where they are having a difficult time hiring industry specific qualified individuals with the proper skills when it comes especially to mobile technology. So the competition for hiring quantified individuals is extremely tight right now.
Since there is a defined and enormous growth in demand for mobile technology professionals, which includes all major industry sectors such as the transportation industry for instance, there’s a push towards further implementing Web based information. There’s a void in areas such as the development of GEO based trip planners, mobile route data planners, and scheduling presentation apps specific for mobile devices.
Business Analysts and Project Managers For IT Projects
• 47% percent of those surveyed are planing to hire for this particular skill in the next year.
Projects need project managers, so there’s a demand for experienced business analysts who are able to identify the end users’ needs and then translating them so that the IT personnel can complete the projects on time.
Because of this, there’s more of a need for business analysts over project managers. They are those who are able to deliver project projections on paper, rather than just overseeing and then monitoring them.
Technical Support and Help Desk Personnel
• 37% percent of businesses plans on hiring additional staff to increase customer service, which is down slightly from the previous year, but still in demand nonetheless.
As long as there’s technology that’s being used in the workplace, there will always be a need for support staff. They may be internal or remote, even outsourced. In the majority of organizations, the help desk personnel along with tech support positions are gateways for entry into higher paying professional IT positions, provided they’re able to develop their skills to advance into them. Upgraded positions such as programming or systems analysts.
Due to the emergence of mobile operating systems, there’s also a big demand for customer “help desk” and tech support positions in this area. Since there’s a wide range of operating systems which are now available for the various mobile platforms, including tablet PCs, mobile OS has quickly forged ahead of the traditional desktop based Windows or Mac OS PCs.
IT Networking Technology Skills
• Over 33% percent of companies plan on hiring for this particular skill, which is slightly down from the previous years survey.
IT professionals who have experience in online networking skills continues to be in high demand, and should be for a while. This demand is fueled mostly by virtualization as well as cloud computing projects, with a stronger emphasis on the virtual skills.
Companies of all sizes are constantly on the lookout for individuals with practical “on-site” work experience when it comes to networking, especially if they have previous experience in helping organizations who has recently migrated towards a virtual or cloud-based environment. Those who are in particular demand are for professionals with specific experience in VMware and Citrix environments.
As far as certifications go, although they are still important, they are also no longer dictating the hiring market in either way, job experience seems more important.
Business Market Intelligence
• 24% percent of businesses plan to expand in this job sector, up slightly from the previous year.
There’s an increasing demand for IT professionals who are skilled in Business Intelligence, and are able to communicate effectively to all levels of the organization. Being able to translate “geek speak” into business dollars and sense is a necessity. This increase indicates a direct shift from focusing on cost savings towards more on investing in advancing technology, which can also provide access to real-time data, enabling these organizations to make better business decisions.
There are large companies for instance who are looking to expand on its usage of Microsoft’s SharePoint collaboration software by increasing their user base. What this type of move requires is a specific skill set to develop and then administer this increase. So there is a noted demand especially for MS SharePoint developers.
Data Center Personnel
• Over 20% percent are planing to hire in this area in the next year, which is slightly down from previous years.
Much like networking, data center operators will be directly impacted by the organizations’ virtualization as well as their cloud migration strategies. In particular, IT hiring managers are looking for those specialized Information Technology professionals who’s got a background in “data center” based operations, along with systems integration.
Also, the demands of having critical data available for achieving guaranteed IT service levels may underscore the need for individuals who are experienced in disaster recovery as well as business continuity. These companies are needing to ensure that their systems which their users depend on will be working properly when they need them.
Web 2.0 Development
• 20% percent of businesses surveyed plan to increase their staff in this area, up from the previous year.
Specific technical skills which are based around social media still remains in demand, as there are more industries who are looking for different ways to integrate the various Web 2.0 based technologies into their infrastructures. This demand is also expected to continue in the next few years.
Specific knowledge in developmental coding, such as AJAX, .Net, and PHP are the main “back-end” skills, while HTML5, CSS, XML, Javascript and Flash are among those on the front end. Organizations are becoming increasingly aware that they’re needing to engage with their customers via these online “peer-to-peer” platforms, and are on the lookout for professionals who are able to support these initiatives.
Internet And Online Security
• 27% percent of companies of all sizes plan to hire for this particular IT segment, which is slightly on the rise from the previous year.
Information and Internet based security threats are continuously on the rise as it’s a constantly moving target. Security is quickly becoming a top-level priority and concern for most organizations, especially for those who are looking into cloud computing as part of their IT solution strategy.
Security is and should be high on the priority list for all companies. Strong technical security as well as auditing skills are thus in high demand. The biggest challenge currently is that the best professional talent in this sector are extremely difficult to locate.
Telecommunications Skills
• 19% percent are planing to hire for this skill in the next year, down slightly from the previous survey.
There’s an aggressive agenda for most companies to upgrade their communications systems, particularly with a strong need for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) systems help according to professional IT hiring managers.
They are continuously on the lookout for telecommunications expertise with site experience in the next few years. Areas in particular demand are individuals with IP telephony skills, who has direct familiarity with Cisco IPCC call center systems.
Although there’s a few concerns regarding the resiliency of the North American economy over the past year alone, the trend in the next several years when it comes to IT hiring indicates that most hiring budgets are beginning to expand. The technology industry appears to be in the cycle where it’s more about innovation and development rather than cost savings.