The 10 Hottest IT Jobs in Demand

Even in tough economic times, employees with the right skills will always be in demand in the IT industry. Baseline analyzed recent employment studies and interviewed several technology recruiters and industry professionals to find the hottest IT positions today. Although there is still consistent demand for the “old-reliable” jobs such as network administration and help desk positions, these picks reflect the current gaps between supply and demand.

 

1. Senior Level Java/J2EE and .NET Developers
Most headhunters agree that finding lead developers with Java/J2EE or .NET proficiency and management experience can be a tall task in today’s market.

“If they’re software developers and they have Java/J2EE or any of the .NET skills, they’re very hot right now,” says Janet Miller, president of the recruiting firm Computer Management.

2. Application Development Managers
Dan Martineau of Martineau Recruiting Technology says that the need for application development managers nips closely at the heels of Java/J2EE opportunities at the top of search lists from clients.

“There is a definite need for applications development managers with strong technical backgrounds, specifically within object-oriented and service-oriented architecture-based applications,” he says.

In the Robert Half Technology 2008 Salary Guide, lead applications developer was listed as the position predicted to see the largest increase in salary this year, with an increase of 7.6 percent.

3. Security Professionals
In spite of increased awareness about IT security in recent years, there is still a skills gap when it comes to this specialty. In fact, a recent CompTIA survey found that among all IT skills, security has the biggest disparity between demand and supply of proficient workers.

“Managers we talk to say that the reason skills are coming up short is because the security landscape changes so rapidly that it is very difficult for anyone to stay on top of all of the different threats that are out there,” says Steven Ostrowski, director of corporate communications for CompTIA.

 
*Is there really an IT labor shortage? Some say no.