NZ faces ongoing shortage of highly-skilled IT professionals

New Zealand continues to face a shortage of highly-skilled IT professionals

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.

Mobile Developers, Business Analysts and Intermediate Software Project Managers are among the roles topping the Hays Quarterly Report of skills in demand for IT for January to March 2015.

“Employers looking for IT talent are beginning to create positions for the right people as the New Zealand market is becoming more and more candidate short in skilled areas,” says Jason Walker, Managing Director of Hays in New Zealand.

“The contract development market will pick up in the first quarter of 2015 and most skilled candidates are employed within a few weeks of coming onto the market and will have multiple offers.”

According to the recruiter, New Zealand experienced Developers with good communication skills are the most sought after IT candidate at present. “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 Jason.

“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.

In the related area of IT sales, one of the biggest growth areas is the sale of managed services solutions. “We expect this to continue as companies look to disrupt established managed services relationships with new technology and service solutions,” says Jason.

“Smaller companies are becoming increasingly able to offer sophisticated IT solutions and challenge the larger established players. This is leading to roles being created with smaller firms hiring their first or second true Business Development Manager, as well as offering exciting opportunities for IT sales professionals.”

The IT skills shortage is set to intensify in New Zealand as the economy grows. “The trend for employers to recruit IT professionals offshore will increase across 2015, not just from Australia, but also globally as skills shortages start to have an impact on the delivery of major projects,” says Jason.

For the full list of skills in demand, please view our Hays Quarterly Report.

Hays, the world’s leading recruiting experts in qualified, professional and skilled people.

About Hays
Hays is the leading global specialist recruiting group. We are the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in Asia Pacific and the UK and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe and Latin America. We operate across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments.

As at 30 June 2014 the Group employed 8,237 staff operating from 237 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2014, Hays reported net fees of £724.9 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £140.3 million. Hays placed around 57,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 212,000 people into temporary assignments. 24% of Group net fees were generated in Asia Pacific.

Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, China, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA.

ENDS

© Scoop Media