Linux know-how is topping the list of most highly sought expertise in software programming positions, according to Dice.
A report from IT jobs
specialist Dice that forecasts the Linux job market shows demand for Linux
skills is on the rise but that finding talent is difficult. The report noted
that this is triggering better salaries and bonuses for Linux professionals, as
companies look to open-source IT specialists to solve their business challenges
and provide growth opportunities.
Eighty-one percent of survey
respondents say that hiring Linux talent is a priority in 2012. This urgency is
driving a substantial increase in recruiting activity, with 47 percent of
hiring managers expecting to add more Linux professionals to their firms in
early 2012 and 63 percent noting Linux hires are increasing relative to jobs
created in other skill areas.
However, a full 85 percent
report having difficulty finding qualified Linux professionals to fill these
positions, pointing to the need for more skilled Linux talent. The "2012
Linux Jobs Report" includes the results of a recent survey of more than
2,000 hiring managers. Dice and The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit
organization dedicated to supporting the growth of Linux, conducted the survey.
In an economy where contract
and temp-to-hire positions have become more prevalent, Linux professionals
garner more full-time positions and better salaries, bonuses and perks. While the
average pay increase for tech professionals averaged just 2 percent in 2011,
professionals with Linux skills have seen a 5 percent increase in salaries and
a 15 percent jump in bonus payouts over the same timeframe. Seventy-five
percent of respondents cited the mid-level professional with three to five
years of experience as their most-sought hires, especially those with
development or systems administration skills.
Linux jobs have become some
of the hottest jobs in all of tech, said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The
Linux Foundation. Clearly, hiring managers throughout the IT tech sector
understand this and are aggressively seeking Linux professionals. It is our job
to meet this demand by ensuring developers and systems admins have access to
the community networking opportunities and Linux training they need to take
advantage of this unprecedented opportunity.
With the tech industry
having twice as many openings as professionals who can do the job, college
grads to mid-career professionals are considering how to take advantage of that
opportunity. Software programming has been highly touted as a lucrative area of
technology, and with the increasing use of Linux and open-source software
across industries, Linux know-how is topping the list of most highly sought
expertise in this area.
In the last 10 years,
theres been no tech skill that matches Linux in terms of growth in hiring requests
and size of demand, and clearly its not done, said Alice Hill, managing
director of Dice. The best Linux candidates have options, and we need more
talented professionals to join the community. Linux is simply a core skill for
anyone pursuing a career in software development or systems administration.
Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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