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If you’re looking for your next break in the cloud computing industry, be warned: salaries are slowing down while job postings soar.<\/p>\n
That is the verdict of Experis, a professional IT resourcing provider, whose latest Tech Cities Job Watch looked at the challenges and opportunities in the UK technology job market.<\/p>\n
According to the research, which utilised Innovantage’s recruitment software to analyse more than half a million employer websites, the number of cloud roles almost doubled (97.73% increase) between Q216 and Q217, but salaries for permanent roles only went up 2.7% on average. For contractors, day rates have stubbornly remained at £481 year on year.<\/p>\n
So why the disparity? According to Experis, the maturation of the industry is partly responsible.<\/p>\n
The data infers that, as more and more companies have made the transition to the cloud, fewer roles for building platforms from scratch are becoming available. “Demand for cloud skills is increasingly being driven by organisations looking for more IT professionals to maintain, optimise and enhance their existing cloud platforms,” said Geoff Smith, managing director of Experis Europe.<\/p>\n
“As these skills are often less specialist, businesses appear to be finding it comparatively easier to fill vacant cloud positions – causing pay growth in this discipline to slow,” added Smith.<\/p>\n
As a result, it is up to professionals to skill up in more nascent areas, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and mobile applications, if they are to stand out. “The diverse cloud requirements that we see as a result of emerging technologies like IoT, big data and mobile are driving the increase in demand, but not all businesses are seeking dedicated or specialist cloud architects,” added Martin Ewings, director of specialist markets at Experis UK & Ireland.<\/p>\n
“Where cloud has been embraced, businesses will be seeking IT professionals to maintain rather than build these platforms.”<\/p>\n
According to the figures, there were 9,783 permanent cloud-based roles advertised across the UK in the second quarter of this year, representing almost a quarter (24.4%) of all tech jobs including big data, IT security, mobile, and web development, alongside 6,942 contract roles.<\/p>\n
Experis added that there are five primary activities which do require specialised cloud knowledge; application development, application deployment, application security, database specialists, and migration specialists. Specific cloud skills in demand this quarter include OpenStack and Rackspace.<\/p>\n
You can find out more and read the full report here (registration required).<\/a><\/p>\n