This document discusses trends in cloud computing and the ICT job market. It provides statistics on the growth of cloud-related jobs in New Zealand from 2012 to 2014 based on job listings. Specifically, it notes that cloud developer jobs have increased over 450% in under two years. The document also shares insights on ICT job trends and skills demand in various countries like Australia, Ireland, South Africa and the United States.
1. 1
ICT Trends – Cloud Computing
Anything/Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS)
Anything-as-a-service,orXaaS,referstothe growingdiversityof servicesavailable over the Internet
viacloudcomputingas opposedtobeingprovidedlocally, or on premises. The terms "software as a
service" (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), platform as a service (PaaS), desktop as a
service (DaaS), backend as a service (BaaS), and information technology management as a service
(ITMaaS) are classified in the cloud computing nomenclature. The potential to reduce IT support
costs throughthe outsourcing of hardware and software maintenance has seen leading enterprise
software companies incorporate SaaS into their overall strategies.
Cloud Provisioning
Cloud provisioning is user account provisioning in a cloud environment whereby the user's
authorization and settings are configured for services and applications located remotely and
deliveredoverthe Internet. The speedof provisioning,the flexible capacity to respond to increased
demand, and the more standard architecture operating in the largest public clouds (Amazon Web
Services, Google Compute Engine and Microsoft's Azure) has encouraged companies to build out
private cloudoperations.Gartnerpredicts thatalmost half of large enterprises will be engaged in a
combined public/private cloud operation often described as "hybrid" cloud computing, by 2017.
Xero is a prime example of one of New Zealand’s best known SaaS companies. It provides cloud-
based accounting software accessible directly from the internet cloud through a standard browser
for small andmedium-sizedbusinesses.Xeroalsopromotes the integration of a wide range of third
party cloud-based software for managing all aspects of business including CRM, inventory
management, and invoicing and job systems; e.g. Quotient (a Xero award winner).
NZ Trends
In the September2012 IITP TechBlog article, featuring the headline ‘Cloud Computing - A Threat or
an Opportunity?’ a total of 71 cloud-category jobs, advertised on Seek ICT NZ, was recorded. Over
the past two years this number has increased by 221 per cent to 228 (Fig.1).
Fig 1 Seek ICT Job Adverts – Cloud Category July 2014
Figure 2 illustratesthe numberof SeekICTNZjobscurrentlyadvertised usingthe cloudservices XaaS
nomenclature.
2. 2
Fig 2 Seek ICT Job Adverts – Cloud Computing Services (XaaS) July 2014
Figure 3 illustrates the distribution of cloud category jobs currently advertised by role. Note the
numberof jobsadvertisedinthe cloud developer category has increased from 17 in August 2012 to
94, an upsurge of over 450 per cent in less than two years.
Fig 3 Seek ICT Job Adverts – Cloud Category by Role July 2014
Additional Information
1. Additional informationisavailablefrom North Bridge/Gigaom Research - Slideshare: The Future
of Cloud Computing – 4th
Annual Survey 2014 (1358 respondents)
2. CloudComputingCode of Practice – developed by the NZ Cloud Computing industry, facilitated
by the IITP
Job Adverts
The SeekICT Jobads for July (Fig.4) postedaslight increase of 1.3 per cent on the June figure for all
NZ. This was almost identical to the same period in 2013, up just 1 per cent.
3. 3
Fig.4 Seek ICT Job Adverts Monthly Trends 2010 –2014 (July)
The Trademe IT job adverts for July increased 13 per cent on last month’s figure of 1,111 although
this was slightly down by 1.3 per cent on July 2013 (Fig.5).
Fig.5 Seek ICT & Trademe IT Job Advert Trends to July 2014
Figure 6 illustrates afurtherincrease in Seek ICT job adverts for this month with Auckland (+2.3 per
cent) leading the growth for the three main regions, just slightly ahead of Canterbury on +2.2 per
cent.
Accordingto the Absolute ITinsightreportof June 2014 the ChristchurchICT marketisset to cement
itself asa key ICT hubof NewZealandthisyear with ICT companies in high speed growth mode - an
additional 12% of employees plan to recruit staff, up to 86%. The two main motivations for the
increase are drivenbynewprojects(21%) andthe increased demand of IT from the business (26%).
4. 4
Fig.6 Seek ICT Job Advert Trends Monthly Change for July 2014
Figure 7 provides a detailed record of the Seek ICT job advert trends by region for the year to July
2014. Overall the total number of jobs has increased by 56.6 per cent since the beginning of the
year.
Fig.7 Seek ICT Job Advert Monthly Trends to July 2014
News Bytes: A to Z
Australia – ARN: Analysis – Skills change, shortage doesn’t
By 2018, the adoption of disruptive technologies will redefine 90 per cent of IT roles.
Australia – Sydney Morning Herald: Ambulance Victoria Rushing Data to Hospital as Well
Ambulance Victoria has joined the big data movement by establishing a real time data exchange
system to provide hospitals greater visibility of incoming patients' needs.
5. 5
Ireland – RTE News: The hard reality of the Irish software industry
The starkestfindinginthe reportisthat growingshortage of suitable softwareengineering talent.So
severe isit,thatas many as half of all software vacancieshere are still filledbypeople beingbrought
in from outside the country (in spite of Ireland’s high rate of unemployment).
NZ – Absolute IT Industry Reports: Christchurch insight report June 2013
Attracting top ICT talent to Christchurch region & holding on to them is front of mind for
Christchurch employers.
NZ – IT Brief: IT jobs in NZ… What’s in demand?
Accordingto the latestreportfromspecialistrecruitmentconsultancyRobertWaltersthere ishigh
demandforIT professionalsincludingbusinessanalysts,projectmanagersand architects.
NZ – NZTech.org.nz: Shadow IT: Tech leaders mentoring young women for a day
ShadowIT has beendesignedasanopportunityfor high school female students to literally shadow
IT professionalstogeta betterunderstandingof the workplace andcareerchoicesavailabletothem.
NZ – Stuff.co.nz: High demand for cyber experts
The establishment of a cyber-security lab at Waikato University comes at a time when there is a
growing shortage of cyber security experts worldwide.
NZ – Stuff.co.nz: Hospital now wired for success
Patients in surgery are physically tracked by armbands with radio frequency signals.
NZ – Stuff.co.nz: Women hacking Silicon Valley boys’ club
Women outnumber men in the specific jobs of analysts and advisers working on preventing
breaches and strengthening technology defences, according to 2011 and 2013 studies from the
International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, or ISC2.
NZ – Twitter.com: @Gazza_R
Based on Seek ICT job adverts .NET is the top ranked NZ programming language while the TIOBE
Programming Community Index (PCI) rates C as the most popular language for the month of June.
SA – BizNis Africa: 2014 ICT Skills Survey represents opportunity for sector
The 2014 annual ICTSkillsSurvey,whichofficially kicked off in June 2014, is continuing apace as ICT
practitioners and employers are encouraged to take part in the 6th edition of this highly-regarded
evaluation of skills requirements and skills acquisition in the ICT sector in South Africa.
SA – IT Web: SA suffers slow ICT skills transfer
SA has a crisis on its hands at the moment in line with the number of graduates from ICT-related
courses that needs to be addressed.
USA – Computing.co.nz: Salaries soar for cyber security high-flyers
While CISOs have traditionally reported to the CIO, many of these new blue-chip CISOs are being
toldto reportdirectlytothe CEO and the board and insome casesare actuallygettingtheirownseat
on the board.
USA – Newsroom.Cisco.com: Closing the Technology Skills Gap: Can E-Learning Save the Day?
On top of hundreds of thousands of open software and app development, IT management,
networking,bigdata,anduserexperience designjobsacrossthe world,there will soonbe thousands
more tech jobs in emerging fields.
USA – Tech Republic.com: The state of women in technology: 15 data points you should know
Google has announced it will invest $50 million in programs to get girls more interested in STEM
education and coding with a "Made With Code" campaign.