Advanced Computing in the Age of AI | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Hiring Managers Worldwide Desperately Seeking Open Source Pros 

It’s an open secret: if you have open source development skills the world is your oyster.

The 2016 Open Source Jobs Report, released today by The Linux Foundation and Dice, a career site for technology professionals, paints a picture of a corporate and government landscape desperate for open source talent. Fully 87 percent of hiring managers surveyed report difficulty in finding the right skills and expertise; 65 percent say open source hiring will increase more than any other part of their business over the next six months; and 79 percent have increased incentives to hold on to their current open source professionals.

But it takes more than good salaries and perks to acquire open source talent. It also takes the enticement of interesting projects, cutting-edge technology challenges and collaboration with the global open source community.

“It’s a seller’s market and it’s only going to get more beneficial for open source professionals,” said Jim Zemlin, Executive Director at the Linux Foundation. “As more and more open source projects are developed, open source professionals will need to update their skillsets with knowledge and experience including DevOps and networking. Ongoing training and certifications will be the key to growing their expertise and keeping a competitive edge.”

Open Source job reportThe 2016 Open Source Jobs Survey and Report looks at trends for open source careers, motivation for professionals and how employers attract and retain talent. The international survey is based on responses from more than 400 hiring managers at corporations, small and medium businesses, government agencies and staffing agencies, along with responses from more than 4,500 open source workers.

Key findings include:

  • Open source talent is a top recruitment priority this year. Fifty-­nine percent of hiring managers say they need to add more open source professionals in the next six months, up 9 percent from last year’s jobs report.
  • DevOps is among the most sought-after skills in the industry. Fifty-­eight percent of hiring managers are seeking DevOps pros while the need for developers remains the top position on their list at 74 percent. Open source professionals also feed this trend: 13 percent of the surveyed identified DevOps as the most in-demand skill today, more than any other category.
  • Networking is a leading emerging technology. As the second most in-­demand knowledge area, 21 percent of hiring managers say networking has the biggest impact on open source hiring. The only higher category, at 51 percent, is knowledge of OpenStack, CloudStack and related cloud technologies.
  • Open source professionals are driven by innovation and collaboration. Only 2 percent said that money and perks were the best aspects of their jobs. Working on interesting projects tops the list with 31 percent, while working on the most cutting-edge technology challenges (18 percent) and collaborating with a global community (17 percent) are also high on open source professionals’ lists.

“Demand for open source talent is growing and companies struggle to find experienced professionals to fill open roles,” said Bob Melk, President of Dice. “Rising salaries for open source professionals indicate companies recognize the need to attract, recruit and retain qualified open source professionals on a global scale.”

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