A guide to where the next big IT jobs are

It feels as though every week we are seeing an IDA announcement about new investment into the IT sector in Ireland. The skills shortage in this sector is well documented and has been extensively written about over the last two years. The Irish government and industry bodies have taken a series of steps to bring more professionals into IT. However, this will take time.

Considering the supply and demand issue,s let’s take a look at what effect this is having on the market at this moment in time and moreover, if I was a student of IT today, where should I invest my energy?

At the junior end there continues to be a shortage of tech support candidates with European languages, in particular French and German. So if I had a language but limited technical competence, this is where I would look for an entry point.

Looking at the Infrastructure market, Cisco continues to be in demand but the future is virtualisation, so those with VMWare and comparable technologies will be the ones that will have options over the next few years.

The testing sector has evolved greatly over the last 10 years and if this is where your interest is, then I would recommend that you try and get exposure in automated testing. Key tools where we are seeing an increase in demand are Selenium, Waitin, Junit, Fitnesse and Silktest. Having these skills could see your salary and daily contract rates increase by 10% year-on-year, with the financial services and telco sectors driving demand.

In development, we continue to see a strong demand for Java, .net / c# and database Developers. However, if you want to stay ahead of the curve, the languages that our customers prize most highly are Python, JSON, XML, Rest, Oracle Financials, Oracle Forms, Unix/Linux Shell & Ruby. Mobile is the future, so these languages, combined with mobile development skills, are prized above all.

Business Intelligence is booming in relation to the challenges that businesses face with Big Data. The demand for BI Developers and Data Analysts is on the rise so whether it is Microsoft, Oracle BI or Cognos that is your bag, then there are a wealth of opportunities.

There is a healthy flow of project and change management positions. It is important to keep your accreditations current whether you work in a structured or agile environment. Those in the know are on the lookout for the next big rollout. Project managers, change managers and business analysts with SEPA are in demand currently.

For further information and details on current salaries in your sector please visit our guide

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James Milligan

Senior Business Director
Recruiting experts in Information Technology

2 Dawson St
Dublin 2

D: +353 (0)  1 678 7649

E: james.milligan@hays.com

@haysIT_Ireland
@recruitsolution

IT professionals - Why you should consider a move into contracting

The last 12 months has seen a significant shift in the IT skills market in Ireland. The IDA has been very successful in bringing new investment into Ireland and this, combined with more confidence in the investment banking sector and blue chip organisation’s has led to a skills shortage in certain areas.

As organisations continue to move to a more flexible workforce model, they require contractors to fulfil the skills demand for certain projects. This combined with unfilled permanent positions means that there is an abundance of opportunities for IT contractors.

Skills in demand include:

• ·    Specialist networking and security skills
• ·     Developers with - Java, .net and Oracle
• ·     Automated testers
• ·     BA’s with financial services backgrounds
• ·    Technical Project Managers

What is the appeal of contracting?

• Market: There are now more contract opportunities available than any other time in the last 4 years.

• Attractive daily rates: Daily rates can sometimes be as high as double the permanent salary for the same position. As demand continues to outstrip supply rates will remain at a premium.

• Effective taxation: Whether you set yourself up as a limited company or you use and umbrella organisation such as CXC you can take home a much higher proportion of what you are paid.  Contractors should retain 80% of their invoiced hours.

• Variety: You can get exposure to multiple organisations and sectors as well as different technologies on a regular basis.

• Flexibility: You can chose when you work, typical contract duration is 6 months. However contracts often roll on, it is not unheard of for contractors to have worked several years with one organisation on multiple projects.

• Control of your own wealth management : Just because your not a permanent employee, it doesn't mean that you can't have a pension or income protection managed in a very tax effective way. 

So what's stopping you from considering a move into contracting?

James Milligan, Senior Business Director

Recruiting experts in Information Technology

HAYS Recruiting experts worldwide

E: james.milligan@hays.com

D: +353 (0)1 6787649

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