IT Job Market Healthy, Developers in Demand: Dice

The recruiting environment for tech professionals is less urgent than what was experienced in the first half of the year, according to the latest report from IT jobs site Dice. The reported noted that backdrop is still positive, with the unemployment rate for tech professionals at 4.2 percent. The number of resumes viewed on Dice is at an all-time high and the job count on the site is up 12 percent year/year, but, the company's job count has plateaued for five months, which Dice managing director Alice Hill called a subtle sign that some restraint has returned to the recruiting landscape.

"Less urgent does not equal less crucial. Technology teams are playing an increasingly large role in supporting companies' goals," she said. "Likewise, there is still a strong belief that proper investment in technology will help the bottom line of any business. Looking ahead, we expect technology will be a priority when companies compile their 2012 initiatives."

Taking a look into recruiting priorities, hiring managers' top requests in the Dice resume database in the third quarter were for a Java/J2EE or Java developer, .NET or .NET developer, business analysis, Sharepoint or Sharepoint developer and project manager. On the supply-side, the desired positions of tech professionals posting their resume in the third quarter were for the positions of business analyst, project manager, software engineer or software, developer, network engineer and systems administrator. "Only time will tell if the near-term elevated uncertainty evaporates in the new year," Hill said.

New York once again led the list of top metro areas for technology jobs, with the number of listings rising five percent from the same period last year. The New York/New Jersey metro area listings totaled 8,965 in October. The Washington DC/Baltimore metro area placed second, also seeing a five percent uptick in listings to 8,778. Silicon Valley, Chicago and Los Angeles rounded out the top five, posting a 19 percent, 21 percent and 12 percent bump in listings, according to the Dice report.

The company noted as the result of a job posting trial by a Dice customer, the reported job count on the site may be higher than normal by as many as 3,000 jobs. The trial is expected to run through mid-November. As reported, the November 1, 2011 job counts exclude any impact from this trial. The report also clarifies a single job posting may reflect more than one skill, location or type of position; therefore, total figures for these attributes may be greater than total jobs posted.

In the company's September jobs report, Hill focused attention on the shortage of .NET developers. "Part of the gap between supply and demand is that technology workers are concerned that if they specialize in .NET application development, they will not be able to easily branch out to other platforms," Hill said. "Another worry among technology professionals is the money gap. Dice research indicates tech professionals who regularly develop for .NET earn about $83,000 a year, compared with more than $91,000 for those specializing in Java."