Linux Professionals Benefit from Wide Demand
Linux-trained professionals are in wide demand. Companies say they're having trouble finding them, and are doing whatever it takes to get them once they do. Those are the headlines from the Linux Jobs Report, a survey of more than 2,000 global hiring managers conducted in December by Dice and the Linux Foundation. Linux has changed--and continues to change--the software ecosystem, and 2012 will be a banner year for talented Linux pros. Here's why: First, 8 in 10 respondents said hiring Linux talent is a priority this year. That’s not surprising to Jim Zemlin, executive director of the Linux Foundation, whose mission is to protect, promote and advance the platform. “Linux has already transformed the entire software market with its collaborative development approach to building software," he says. "Where value is placed today in software development—on the developers—is very different from where we were a decade ago." Zemlin sees a lot of activity in mobile and embedded systems, as well as high-performance computing and cloud technologies. Why? "Linux is changing the economics of these markets and allowing companies to compete more aggressively using Linux as their foundation for devices and systems." At the same time, 85 percent of hiring managers say finding Linux talent is “somewhat to very” difficult. The highest demand is for mid-level developers and systems administrators, people with three to five years of experience. That's exactly the people most managers--75 percent of them--say they’re looking for. "I think it's just a numbers game,” says Zemlin. “You have more of these types of (positions for) developers and sys admins than at either the entry level or more advanced positions. It's the sweet spot for technical positions.”