.Net - soon to be the most sought after IT skill?
Announcement posted by Spherion 08 May 2003
Quarterly research released by Spherion reveals employment and training trends across Australia and New Zealand
Research released today by Spherion, suggests that Microsofts .Net could be the most in-demand IT skill in the coming months. Looking at various categories, including IT, Internet and programming skills sought by employers over the last quarter, and enrolments in professional IT and professional development courses, the Spherion Index reveals employment and training trends across Australia and New Zealand from January to March 2003.
With recent economic changes, weve seen a consolidation of IT skills within job roles. Businesses can no longer afford to have a large number of IT staff, so increasingly IT professionals need to have a larger range of specific skill sets, said Andrea Galloway, President and Group Managing Director of Spherion Asia Pacific.
Its not just technical skills either. IT professionals today are also expected to have generic business competencies such as communication skills and customer service. This has meant more and more IT professionals have needed to expand their training.
Skills on the rise
Demand from employers for Java, SQL and Visual Basic programming skills remained strong throughout the last quarter, with a trend towards competency in specific packages, such as SAP, Lotus Notes and Access. From January to March, the most popular Internet skills sought by employers continued to be XML, HTML, SQL and Java.
General IT skills required included analyst/programming, help desk and desktop support, network infrastructure support and business analysis.
Demand for these skills reflects a continued focus on Internet technologies and projects aimed at ensuring business continuity, such as security and infrastructure, which has been driven by the threat of war, said Andrea.
Weve noticed that less of the IT budget is being dedicated to development with many companies believing the best ROI can be achieved from improving corporate applications with newer technologies. The majority of development projects that are occurring are more package focused, for example ERP or EAI, rather than in-house programming-based development.
It is interesting to note however, that for the last three quarters demand for knowledge workers with business analysis skills has been strong. This suggests that companies are reviewing their current systems with a view to investing more money towards their IT infrastructure.
Training in demand
There was a growing interest over the last quarter in training for .Net and IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL - the accepted world standard and methodology for establishing IT management processes). There was also a discernible shift to newer versions of Microsoft software, with enrolments for Project 2000 and Excel 2000 courses in particular on the increase.
The benefits that can be derived from both .Net applications and ITIL processes are slowly being realised within the IT market, which is reflected by the increased demand for these courses, Andrea commented. The rising demand for Project 2000 training shows that there are significant differences from Microsofts previous software versions.
Weve also noticed a shift from competency-based training to knowledge-based training. Soft skills such as professional development and project management are a major focus for technically competent managers.
So whats next?
While there are some strong trends in the market, Spherion believes there isnt a clear focus moving forward, Its difficult to identify an overall trend across Australia and New Zealand, however looking forward, were keeping a close watch on .Net, Java and business analysis, said Andrea. Since early 2002, weve seen an increasing interest from employers in .Net, and in some states this is already one of the most sought after skills.
Although contracting roles still dominate, the shift towards permanent jobs witnessed this quarter will continue for some time.
Many IT professionals are opting to take on permanent roles, perhaps to quell any uncertainty they have felt over the last couple of years, said Andrea. At the same time, we are seeing that more companies are hiring permanent staff over contractors in order to address costs, and many employers are instituting three-month trial contracts, looking towards full-time employment at the end of the trial period, a practice which looks set to continue.
Despite recent reports such as the Australian Computer Society (ACS) report which stated that unemployment in the ICT sector was running at twice the national average, there are still IT positions available. What is different from two years ago is that current employment opportunities require very specific skills, for example a focus on systems integration or architecture, which allow companies to make existing infrastructure more robust and efficient.
Systems integrators and consulting firms are currently working in a very competitive market, and success in winning new business comes from having competitive advantage, including putting the best team forward for the job.
IT professionals need to look at the current employment trends and assess where the market is heading. By examining their current skills, identifying any gaps and developing the skills to fill these, IT professionals will make themselves far more attractive to employers.
This research has been collated from job vacancies placed with Spherions Recruitment Solutions Division and enrolments with Spherions Education Division from January to March 2003.
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About Spherion
Since 1968, the Spherion Groups considerable expertise and business experience in recruitment, education and training, technology and outsourcing has enabled it to develop and deliver innovative business solutions that assist clients to become more efficient, cost effective and competitive.
Headed by Andrea Galloway, the Group operates 50 offices across Australia, Asia and New Zealand, and employs more than 2,000 full-time and flexible employees. Spherions clients include state and federal government departments, national telecommunications carriers, multi-national organisations, federal banking institutions and local Australian companies.
Spherion is in a unique position in its ability to offer a total solution to organisations looking to improve workplace productivity and efficiency by enhancing its technology, its processes and its people.
The Spherion Group is the Asia-Pacific division of the Spherion Corporation, a US$2.7 billion global organisation specialising in advising, designing, developing and implementing a range of services to optimise workforce performance. Headquartered in Florida, USA, Spherion operates 750 offices on three continents. The Spherion Group was founded in the Asia Pacific region in 1968, and was formerly known as Interim Technology and the Computer Power Group.
www.spherion.com.au
With recent economic changes, weve seen a consolidation of IT skills within job roles. Businesses can no longer afford to have a large number of IT staff, so increasingly IT professionals need to have a larger range of specific skill sets, said Andrea Galloway, President and Group Managing Director of Spherion Asia Pacific.
Its not just technical skills either. IT professionals today are also expected to have generic business competencies such as communication skills and customer service. This has meant more and more IT professionals have needed to expand their training.
Skills on the rise
Demand from employers for Java, SQL and Visual Basic programming skills remained strong throughout the last quarter, with a trend towards competency in specific packages, such as SAP, Lotus Notes and Access. From January to March, the most popular Internet skills sought by employers continued to be XML, HTML, SQL and Java.
General IT skills required included analyst/programming, help desk and desktop support, network infrastructure support and business analysis.
Demand for these skills reflects a continued focus on Internet technologies and projects aimed at ensuring business continuity, such as security and infrastructure, which has been driven by the threat of war, said Andrea.
Weve noticed that less of the IT budget is being dedicated to development with many companies believing the best ROI can be achieved from improving corporate applications with newer technologies. The majority of development projects that are occurring are more package focused, for example ERP or EAI, rather than in-house programming-based development.
It is interesting to note however, that for the last three quarters demand for knowledge workers with business analysis skills has been strong. This suggests that companies are reviewing their current systems with a view to investing more money towards their IT infrastructure.
Training in demand
There was a growing interest over the last quarter in training for .Net and IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL - the accepted world standard and methodology for establishing IT management processes). There was also a discernible shift to newer versions of Microsoft software, with enrolments for Project 2000 and Excel 2000 courses in particular on the increase.
The benefits that can be derived from both .Net applications and ITIL processes are slowly being realised within the IT market, which is reflected by the increased demand for these courses, Andrea commented. The rising demand for Project 2000 training shows that there are significant differences from Microsofts previous software versions.
Weve also noticed a shift from competency-based training to knowledge-based training. Soft skills such as professional development and project management are a major focus for technically competent managers.
So whats next?
While there are some strong trends in the market, Spherion believes there isnt a clear focus moving forward, Its difficult to identify an overall trend across Australia and New Zealand, however looking forward, were keeping a close watch on .Net, Java and business analysis, said Andrea. Since early 2002, weve seen an increasing interest from employers in .Net, and in some states this is already one of the most sought after skills.
Although contracting roles still dominate, the shift towards permanent jobs witnessed this quarter will continue for some time.
Many IT professionals are opting to take on permanent roles, perhaps to quell any uncertainty they have felt over the last couple of years, said Andrea. At the same time, we are seeing that more companies are hiring permanent staff over contractors in order to address costs, and many employers are instituting three-month trial contracts, looking towards full-time employment at the end of the trial period, a practice which looks set to continue.
Despite recent reports such as the Australian Computer Society (ACS) report which stated that unemployment in the ICT sector was running at twice the national average, there are still IT positions available. What is different from two years ago is that current employment opportunities require very specific skills, for example a focus on systems integration or architecture, which allow companies to make existing infrastructure more robust and efficient.
Systems integrators and consulting firms are currently working in a very competitive market, and success in winning new business comes from having competitive advantage, including putting the best team forward for the job.
IT professionals need to look at the current employment trends and assess where the market is heading. By examining their current skills, identifying any gaps and developing the skills to fill these, IT professionals will make themselves far more attractive to employers.
This research has been collated from job vacancies placed with Spherions Recruitment Solutions Division and enrolments with Spherions Education Division from January to March 2003.
-- ends --
About Spherion
Since 1968, the Spherion Groups considerable expertise and business experience in recruitment, education and training, technology and outsourcing has enabled it to develop and deliver innovative business solutions that assist clients to become more efficient, cost effective and competitive.
Headed by Andrea Galloway, the Group operates 50 offices across Australia, Asia and New Zealand, and employs more than 2,000 full-time and flexible employees. Spherions clients include state and federal government departments, national telecommunications carriers, multi-national organisations, federal banking institutions and local Australian companies.
Spherion is in a unique position in its ability to offer a total solution to organisations looking to improve workplace productivity and efficiency by enhancing its technology, its processes and its people.
The Spherion Group is the Asia-Pacific division of the Spherion Corporation, a US$2.7 billion global organisation specialising in advising, designing, developing and implementing a range of services to optimise workforce performance. Headquartered in Florida, USA, Spherion operates 750 offices on three continents. The Spherion Group was founded in the Asia Pacific region in 1968, and was formerly known as Interim Technology and the Computer Power Group.
www.spherion.com.au