15 Rapidly Growing JOBS

1. Open Source Jobs

Open source experience and contributions continue to rate highly with IT employers, especially those with significant big data and cloud initiatives on the books.

Think along the lines of the aforementioned Hadoop, of course, but don’t forget about the broader ecosystem around it, which includes projects such as Cassandra, Hive, and Pig. Linux is another place to look, and the NoSQL world (see also: MongoDB) offers open source opportunities as well.

2. Cyber Security Jobs

Job titles range from security architect to the relatively recent executive suite addition of the CSO or CISO. There’s never been a better time to be a qualified security pro — at least from the standpoint of employability.

Cyber-security was the fastest-growing skill area in terms of employer demand on tech jobs site Dice from January 2014 through January 2015, with its close cousin information security not too far behind.

3. Project Management, Agile, DevOps

Interest in IT pros experienced with the project management and issue-tracking software from Atlassian spiked 69% on Dice in the 12 months ending Jan. 31, 2015, as more organizations adopted either Agile development approaches or a full-blown DevOps makeover.

4. SAP HANA JOBS

SAP HANA growing job market globally.

5. Mainframe Jobs

Still demand for mainframe skills growing

6. Hadoop Jobs

Demand for Hadoop skills grew 54% on Dice during the past 12 months, as did employer interest in big data expertise as a broader category. Renda, of Eliassen, noted that developers with chops in languages such as Java who add Hadoop experience will be particularly attractive to recruiters and hiring managers going forward.

7. Control M Jobs

Informatica and Mainframe area demand for CONTROL-M skills is increasing.

8. Big Data Analytics

In concert with rising demand for technical and analytical skills elsewhere in the big data universe, Dice found mounting employer interest in experience with specific platforms — in this case, Teradata’s big data, data warehousing, and analytics applications and services. Teradata saw a 33% increase in advertised positions on Dice between January 2014 and January 2015, making it the ninth fastest-growing skill area on the site.

9# CICS Mainframe Jobs

CICS and DB2 in mainframe area increasing jobs globally.

10. Data+Warehouse+jobs [Data Warehouse Jobs]

11.MS+BI+jobs [MS BI JOBS]

12. Cloud+Computing+jobs [Cloud Computing Jobs]

13. Big Data, Web Application Development

• NoSQL database know-how is another quick ticket to job interviews these days. Demand for this skill category jumped 49% from January 2014 to January 2015, according to Dice. There’s a range of NoSQL options, but the open source MongoDB has proven popular as a recruiting search term. Job search site Indeed.com lists MongoDB as the No. 2 keyword in terms of growth on its site during the past several years.
• Android+Development+jobs [Mobile, Software] Renda from Eliassen said that mobile remains one of four foundational technologies — alongside cloud, social, and analytics — driving the hiring needs of the recruiting firm’s clients this year. As a result, Android developers (don’t worry, iOS fans — you’re up next) are regularly in the hiring crosshairs.
• ios+Development+jobs [Mobile, Software] Of course, Renda included iOS developers on his list of commonly sought job titles among Eliassen’s mobile clients, too. Like Android, iOS has been one of the fastest-growing (third overall) terms on Indeed.com job listings over the past several years.
• Puppet+Labs+jobs [Automation & Configuration Management, DevOps, Cloud] Employer interest in IT pros who know Puppet Labs’ flagship automation and configuration management tool shot skyward, increasing 67% from January 2014 to January 2015. This was due, in part, to growing interest in DevOps — or at least DevOps-like approaches to building, testing, delivering, and maintaining software.
• Python+bigdata+jobs [Software Development, Big Data] The Python programming language’s rising popularity among developers corresponds with increasing interest among hiring companies, too. Python cracked the top 10 fastest-growing skills areas on Dice during the months ending Jan. 31, 2015, with a 29% bump on ads for this skill posted on the jobs site.
• JAVA+jobs [Software Development, Cloud, Mobile] Java may not have the new-and-shiny appeal of some others skills and technologies here, but sometimes “boring” is a strong suit. Java continues to be mainstream in enterprise IT environments, and there’s a corresponding demand among employers. In fact, as of January 2015, Dice had some 16,000 available positions requiring or requesting Java skills on any given day.

14. Big Data, Analytics

• Data-driven businesses absolutely need IT pros who can mine, manage, and store massive data sets, whether with Hadoop or other technologies. But they have an equally pressing need for people who can make actionable business sense of the data, too — otherwise, there’s little real value, especially to the C-Suite and on non-technical teams.
• Whether listed under “data analyst” or comparable title, the ability to derive business value from the numbers is going to be a pressing concern for hiring managers going forward.
• “Analytics are embedded everywhere,” said McGarrity of Mondo. “It’s critical to have the resources who can analyze and drive strategy from the data and numbers.”
• Cloud+Bigdata+jobs Open source experience and contributions continue to rate highly with IT employers, especially those with significant big data and cloud initiatives on the books. Think along the lines of the aforementioned Hadoop, of course, but don’t forget about the broader ecosystem around it, which includes projects such as Cassandra, Hive, and Pig. Linux is another place to look, and the NoSQL world (see also: MongoDB) offers open source opportunities as well.
• UX/UI+Design+jobs [Software Development, Mobile]
• According to Eliassen’s Renda, top-notch user experience and user interface (UX/UI) designers rate highly alongside developers on hiring wish lists. The reason? Employers are obsessed with creating first-rate Web and mobile apps that appeal to younger consumers — Millennials, especially — as they grow older and their buying power increases.
• .NET+Development+jobs [Software Development]
• Like Java in some respects (and unlike it in others), .NET has been a mainstay on many IT resumes for both desktop application development and, in the case of ASP.NET, Web application development as well.
• You won’t find it on the “fastest-growing” lists because it’s been around a while, but it remains very much in demand, something unlikely to change in the near future.
• Employers responding to a January 2015 survey on Dice listed .NET as one of the toughest skills or roles to fill, ranking it No. 3 (No. 1 was software developer/software engineer, and No. 2 was Java).

15. Virtualization Cloud

As far as buzzwords and IT trends go, virtualization seems bland these days. But virtualization skills remain keenly sought after by employers, according to Renda, particularly when they intersect with cloud computing experience. Both Eliassen and Dice point to VMware as the one of the most common platform-specific searches, though obviously it’s not the only game in town.