Highly skilled IT professionals continue to be in short supply in New Zealand as organisations seek to improve processes and upgrade systems, says recruiting experts Hays.
New Zealand experienced developers with good communication skills are the most sought after IT candidate at present, says Jason Walker, managing director, Hays New Zealand.
Other in demand roles are mobile developers, business analysts and intermediate software project managers, according to the latest Hays Quarterly Report of skills in demand for IT.
“Test driven development and standard unit testing principles are in demand as employers are seeking developers who can understand how to test code and make it robust enough to use for years to come,” says Walker.
He foresees the contract development market to pick up in the first quarter of 2015. “Most skilled candidates are employed within a few weeks of coming onto the market and will have multiple offers,” he states.
“There is a particular shortage of mobile developers with local development and commercial experience in Auckland, while front end developers in the digital and creative space are also rare. We’re also seeing demand for Java integration middleware developers in Auckland as they are mostly based in Wellington for Government agencies.”
Demand for IT business analysts is also expected to remain high as organisations continue to seek process improvement efficiencies and upgrade systems.
“Business analysts with specific system expertise including SharePoint, and those who can truly engage with the business and elicit requirements will continue to be sought after.
“We’re also seeing a need for intermediate software project managers. There are plenty of senior candidates in the market, but they are looking for more than what the market can pay at the moment so the demand for intermediate managers is high.”
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