2014 Technology Hiring Trends

by Mike Miadich on Nov 20, 2013 in Hiring

As 2014 quickly approaches, many technology departments are starting to analyze their needs for the upcoming year. Technology hiring trends, strategies, projects and equipment needs are all important aspects to your department’s plans for 2014 and should be assessed and budgeted appropriately. However, one of the most integral pieces to your 2014 IT plan will be the technical staff needed to complete all your goals.

In 2013, we experienced very low IT unemployment rates, saw the emergence of trends such as BYOD and Big Data and continued to move data into the cloud. Now as we come to the end of the year, unemployment in IT remains low and we can predict that consultants who have a hot skill set can anticipate very high demand for their services. While this is great for consultants, it creates an issue for IT managers and directors looking to fill certain positions, thus creating a hiring competition between companies for the best talent.

Can you anticipate what skills will be in demand in 2014? A recent ComputerWorld survey and article highlights some of the most in demand IT skillsets. We condensed our list of top 2014 Technology Hiring Trends listed below:

1.) Programming / Application Development

According to ComputerWorld, this set of skills will be the most in demand in 2014 with 49% of their survey respondents planning to hire developers next year. Software Developers specifically, are in high demand and are experiencing only a 1.8% unemployment rate, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Be ready to immediately extend an offer if you find a good developer as they won’t be on the market for long.

2.) Help Desk / Technical Support

The need for Help Desk and Tech Support positions is a great sign of the economic times. Positions such as these are added when businesses experience growth and need to increase their technology infrastructure. Also adding to the demand of this role are the companies who once outsourced their Help Desk needs and are now bringing them back in house. 37% of ComputerWorld respondents plan to hire Help Desk professionals in 2014.

3.) Project Management

Big projects lie on the 2014 horizon. 25% of ComputerWorld respondents said that they were planning to hire a Project Manager within the next 12 months. The demand for PM’s signals that IT departments are planning on implementing more IT related projects this year.

4.) Database Administration

With the popularity and increasing need of “Big Data” administrators, DBA’s will be one of the more difficult positions to staff for in 2014. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports DBA’s are experiencing a 1.3% unemployment rate and a 31% growth rate from 2010 – 2020. 24% of ComputerWorld respondents are looking to hire for this position. As the founder and CEO of Mondon, Michael Kirven states, “Oracle DBAs, data architects – these people stay on the market for about an hour until they’re hired.”

5.) Mobile

As the use of mobile devices grows for both consumer and B2B audiences, so does the need for Mobile Apps Developers and Device Management professionals. The demand for positions such as these is growing faster than IT professionals can update their skills and adapt. In 2013, CareerBuilder ranked Mobile Application Developers from their Supply and Demand Portal. They ranked this position an 18, on a scale of 0 -100 (with 0 being the most difficult to hire), proving the increased challenge in hiring these professionals. 27% of ComputerWorld respondents are planning on hiring for this role.

6.) Security

IT Security always has and will continue to remain one of the most important IT positions to any organization. The increased use of the web and having many organizations moving mass amounts of data to the cloud, makes information security more critical than ever. 21% of ComputerWorld respondents said they are planning to hire for this skill in 2014.

This past year, IT managers and directors may have started to find it harder to recruit the talent they need to fill their open jobs. As you read above, these technology hiring trends are not going away and if anything, will only increase in 2014. If you start experiencing this shortage more and more and find you’re just not seeing the talent you need, you might consider partnering with a trusted IT staffing company. Partnering with an agency to help your recruiting efforts will allow you to spend time on other initiatives or recruiting other positions.

Looking for any of these positions in 2014? Learn more about EdgeLink’s services here.