Employers look to address skills shortage

But greater flexibility required, says recruiting group, Hays

Ongoing investment in software and infrastructure projects by enterprise is fuelling demand for program managers, according to the April-June quarterly report by recruiting group, Hays.

Report: What are you worth? IT salaries.

Candidates with experience working within outsourcing companies will remain in demand, the report said, as well as skilled Windows and Windows Server engineers.

Companies in both the private and public sectors are investing significantly in complex implementations — and the result is a demand for program managers that can oversee various, often interdependent projects.

Storage upgrades, many of which were delayed during the economic downturn, are also back on the agenda.

Enterprises hunt for competent business analysts

Employers also require business analysts who are capable of managing projects, although there are very few on the market, according to Hays.

“Intermediate business analysts with three to six years of experience, in particular, are becoming rarer,” the group said in a statement.

Individuals with experience working with outsourcing companies are also in demand, particularly for their ability to contribute immediately to productivity with less training.

Public sector drives need for network engineers

Demand continues to grow for Cisco-certified network engineers thanks to the large public sector network projects, such as the NSW government’s data centre reform program.

The lack of supply has led some orgnaisaitons to consider overseas and interstate candidates to fill the gaps.

Also in high demand:

  • Candidates with functional experience in the Oracle eBusiness suite.
  • Project managers with experience in CRM or ERP.
  • Candidates with iPhone and iPad application development.
  • SharePoint experience – both at the project management and developer level.
  • BizTalk and senior C# .Net developers

    “As per last quarter, there is a noticeable lack of candidates involved in networking, VoIP, MPLS and firewall,” Hays said

    Employers willing to wait for skills

    Although organisations will increase rates and salaries for the right person, many are instead choosing to wait for the right candidate to become available at their price. It can, however, cause delays to projects, adding to the workload of existing employees, according to the firm.

    “Rigid skills criteria remain in place, with little employer flexibility. We suggest that candidates with the required attitudes, behaviours and cultural fit who are lack technical expertise can still be considered favourably. Less experienced candidates can be trained and can become more productive as a result of this investment.”

    Hays advises employers to plan ahead and consider their requirements for the coming six, 12, or even 24 months.

    Follow Georgina Swan on Twitter: @swandives

    Follow CIO Australia on Twitter: @CIO_Australia

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