Software developers in general and Java and mobile software developers in particular are in seemingly short supply today. Along with Microsoft .NET developers, those three specilizations took up four of the top five most difficult positions IT managers are looking to fill, according to a survey of 866 technology-focused hiring managers and recruiters by Web-based IT jobs site Dice.com.
The fifth most difficult skill set to find was in the general area of security, followed by SAP developers, Microsoft Sharepoint specialists and Web developers. Active federal security clearance specialists and network engineering professionals rounded out the top ten. With so many developer positions remaining unfilled, there are several factors as to why the market isn t moving to bridge talent gaps, Dice research indicated.
In some cases such as mobile developers, the market is expanding faster than the talent pool can adapt. That in turn impacts software developers who can fairly transition into the mobile space. Still, not all the positions or skill-sets on the list are in the "sexiest" corners of the tech employment market, the report noted. Technology hiring managers largely want journeymen, not apprentices. Asked for experience preference, corporate hiring managers most frequently say IT pros with two to five years in the workforce, followed by those with six to 10 years’ experience. Competition is fierce when companies are all chasing the same talent, making positions hard-to-fill.
As of July 2, Dice’s website counts 84,940 available tech jobs, with 52,290 full-time positions, 36,157 contract positions and 1,677 part time positions. The New York/New Jersey metro area led the country with 8,871 positions listed, down 9 percent from the same period last year. The Washington, D.C./Baltimore metro area placed second with a total of 8,334 positions available, up nine percent from the same period a year ago. Listings in Silicon Valley rose six percent, landing the area in third place with a total of 5,684 postings, followed by Chicago, which experienced a rise of 5 percent and boasted 3,900 listings.
Los Angeles followed, posting the largest gain in the top ten metro areas at 14 percent, with a total of 3,551 jobs listed. Boston saw the number of available listings rise four percent to 3,421, while listings in Dallas spiked 10 percent to hit 3,160. Atlanta, Seattle, and Philadelphia rounded out the top ten with 3,070 listings, 2,810 listings, and 2,344 listings, respectively. The overall unemployment rate for technology professionals is hovering around 3.5 percent, far lower than the national jobless rate, but unlikely to move much lower, as organizations remain cautions about making big hiring moves in an uncertain economic climate.
To read the original eWeek article, click here: Mobile, Java Developers Hard to Find: Dice
