Booming Demand for Developers and Online Marketing Pros

Our IT recruiters are working late this week hunting for .Net/C# and Java developers. We’re also on the hunt for mobile app developers, Python developers and Software Marketing specialists. If our growing job list is any indication, we are experiencing a tech boom in Toronto right now that is being inspired by the mobile boom and led by the SMEs – small and medium-sized companies.

According to the Elance Online Employment Survey 2011, the demand for online workers doubled in the past year. “Survey respondents cited Web Programmers/Developers (73%), Graphic Designer/Multimedia Experts (63%) and Writer/Blogger/Content Creators (39%) as the most valuable online professionals to their business in the last 12 months.”

Hot Skills in Demand in 2011 According Report by Elance.com

Are We Seeing The Same Hiring Trends Here In Toronto?

Elance is based in the US. Are we experiencing the same surge of demand for online workers here in Toronto, Canada?

• We Can’t Get Enough Mobile Developers: We’ve seen a huge increase in the demand for mobile programmers with HTML5. In fact the demand for experienced Mobile Developers far exceeds the supply.
• The Popularity of WordPress is Skyrocketing: WordPress has certainly rocketed in popularity as a CMS and a blogging platform. We are not seeing a big demand for WordPress developers. However, according to Builtwith.com, WordPress is the top Content Management System in the world so no doubt the demand for WordPress developers, bloggers and site managers is growing.
• Every Brand Wants a Facebook Page: There is a real demand for Facebook developers because every brand wants to have a presence on Facebook. Toronto businesses are no exception. Companies are looking for people to build Facebook Fan Pages and Facebook Apps that will help them engage their customers and build their community. That little Facebook Like button is a powerful tool to show off the popularity of your brand and improve your Google page rank at the same time.
• Twitter, Customer Service and Community Managers: Many companies are hiring Community Managers with SEM (Search Engine Marketing) skills. These people manage the companies Twitter and Facebook accounts, interact with the community, write content for the corporate blog, and generally enhance the online reputation of the brand. The demand for online marketing specialists is growing very quickly and may soon be nipping at the heels of the .Net and Java programmers.

The Job Market Is Evolving With Mobile

This is the year that mobile and tablet devises may surpass traffic from desktops so it’s safe to say that the demand for mobile developers will stay strong. This means even more demand for people who know HTML5, Java, C++. Objective-C, iOs, Javascript, and J2ME. Plus we’ll see more demand for Project Managers, Team Leads, QAs, and Tech Support specialists with a background in these platforms.

What do you see in your crystal ball?