Fastest-growing IT jobs in SA

The fastest-growing IT jobs in SA differ from those in the US, says Louise Huyser, recruitment manager at The People Business.

In a research-based report, US computer magazine Datamation recently listed the five fastest-growing IT jobs. Top of the list is a network systems and data communications analyst, second is a computer applications software engineer, third a computer systems software engineer, followed by a network and computer systems administrator, and a database administrator.

However, Huyser says software developers (especially Java, C# and .Net specialists), business analysts, network administrators, project managers, and database administrators and storage professionals, are the five areas seeing the greatest growth in demand by SA employers.

"Due to constant change in clients` needs and the drive to provide an array of tailored products to suit these specific needs, software development continues to be in demand," says Huyser.

Business analysts remain essential, she says, in identifying specific customer or organisational requirements and helping to design service delivery processes and systems in order to meet these requirements.

"This is because customer demand has increasingly become the focal point and driver behind business growth across the globe."

End-users increasingly demand higher reliability, speed and maximised uptime as service delivery often depends upon the efficiency of the network; downtime equates to loss of revenue, meaning that network administrators are becoming increasingly important, she notes.

Project management is another skills area growing quickly, comments Huyser. "As 2010 approaches, the need for project management multiplies as the eyes of the world are upon SA to pull off the project of all projects."

In 2005, over 184 000 certified project management professionals were registered worldwide, according to Project Net Magazine`s July-August 2006 edition, she adds. Huyser expects local numbers to grow as well.

Database administration and storage is the fifth key growth area Huyser points to, saying that as businesses grow, data production grows exponentially, leading organisations to increase their investment in adequate database architecture and storage.