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Past IT Trends Impact 2014 Hiring - Miles Jennings

Written by Miles Jennings | Jan 10, 2014 8:00:34 AM

In the rapidly paced field of information technology, a new year typically means that there is a whole slew of changes coming professionals’ way. Heavily influenced by advancements made in this sector, IT employment opportunities are expected to be subject to many modifications.With every emerging technological tool that businesses deem the next big thing to help them improve their operations, the world of IT recruiting has to shift in order to accommodate these sophisticated solutions. This means that chief information officers have to be agile with their departments, ensuring that they are malleable enough to allow for not only expansion, but also innovation. CIOs have to be able to add staff members to meet rising demand for their tech functions, while keeping an open mind and creating completely unique positions responsible for handling the latest must-have tools.Employment to catch up with past IT trendsIT executives will find that this year is no different than previous ones, which means that they will have to adjust their tech teams in an effort to wield the most recent trends in innovation. However, InformationWeek stated that, luckily, the jobs predicted to be created over the course of 2014 are not likely to be anything revolutionary, and many CIOs are probably going to be playing catch-up in terms of hiring the right applicants who will assist them in incorporating advancements into their operations.If CIOs are contemplating which types of roles to develop in the year to come, they should consider some of the buzzwords that circulated the tech field throughout 2013. For example, the news source explained that big data is one trend that gained speed in the last year and is now anticipated to make a significant impact on the employment practices of the IT industry.Data becomes big influence on tech hiring As many CIOs may know, big data is hardly new. Companies have been compiling facts and figures relevant to their industries and consumer demographics, performing advanced analytics on them so that these firms can gain invaluable insight into their market and overhaul their businesses accordingly. That said, the more organizations rely on big data to refine their functions, the greater the demand will be for talented professionals.These IT experts have to be adept at sifting through a multitude of information, pinpointing snippets of critical material and dissecting it so that IT teams can identify exactly how their companies can make improvements. Consequently, CIOs may find that they have to create positions within their departments that are reserved for big data specialists, or even increase the number of jobs related to this type of technology.Job creation fueled by increasing mobilityMobility is another solution that has been gaining steam throughout the past couple of years. Companies have caught on to the fact that an ample number of consumers use their mobile devices on a daily basis. Research conducted by Pew Internet revealed that 56 percent of Americans own a smartphone, while another 35 percent has a tablet. InformationWeek explained that because of this widespread trend, CIOs have been on a mission to make their businesses mobile-friendly – in more ways than one.IT executives have generally been encountering an increased need for mobile development both internally and externally. Organizations have been emphasizing the importance of having mobile applications for either employee or customer use.CIOs want to make sure that their staff members have ready access to company data and analytical tools. For this reason, they have been heading initiatives to create applications that enable employees to work remotely and increase efficiency.Likewise, businesses are hoping to appeal to more consumers so that they can effectively convert them to paying customers. Knowing that a bulk of the public uses mobile apps throughout their daily lives, a rising number of companies are planning on offering solutions for people to implement, which could increase consumer awareness of their brands and win over new clients.To equip employees and consumers alike with apps, CIOs are expected to expand their job offerings in the mobile development field. This hiring trend is gaining so much momentum that there is currently an abundance of employment vacancies, which are predicted to continue climbing as more and more IT executives find they are in need of staff members with mobile skills.