"The closer you are to the application, the stronger the demand," says Dice.com Vice President Jennifer Bewley. That seems to be the trend for IT skill demand in 2013, as reported recently by IT staffing companies Dice, Robert Half Technology and TEKsystems.
Skill sets seeing strongest demand this year include:
- Data Analytics/Business Analytics — "The term 'Big Data' has become so trite, but the demand for data analytics skills is off the chart," says Bewley. "Companies are willing to invest in data professionals." Companies are looking to convert Big Data into actionable business intelligence, says John Reed, senior executive director at Robert Half Technology. "They are asking 'How do we take all that information and make better business decisions based on real time analytics?' "
- "Devops" — The combination of development and business operations skills. "It's the 'Brangelina' of IT roles," says Bewley. "That demand is really strong, but people with the right combination of operations and development skills are very hard to find."
- Healthcare IT technicians — "With electronic health record implementations, there's a need to improve or provide support to new systems," says TEKsystems Research Manager Jason Hayman. "And end-users need help learning how to use them and maintain them, so EHR has created a huge influx of IT support issues."
- Mobile Application Development — "We're seeing demand for anyone with experience in the mobile space," says Reed.
- Programming Languages — ".NET and Java are in huge demand — to create new applications or improve existing applications and improve the user experience," says TEKsystems' Hayman.
- Software Engineering — "As companies continue to use technology to improve productivity, streamline processes and reduce costs," says Reed.
- User Interface (UI) — "Any kind of UI development is really strong," says Bewley. Especially UI involved with building and enhancing websites, adds Reed. "Companies continue to refine their engagement with customers and pull information from their websites."
