IT project managers, change managers and business analyst contractors that can help companies with business transformations are in demand in Australia, according to the latest Hudson employment trends report.
The Hudson Report: Employment Trends found that ICT has the strongest contractor employment outlook with hiring intentions at 29.4 per cent for the first quarter of 2014.
This is compared with Hudson's January 2013 that found 42.1 per cent of IT employers had intentions to hire during Q1 of 2013.
According to Hudson ICT director Tim Davis, this is the first time in years that the intention to hire ICT contractor staff (29.4 per cent) is higher than the intention to hire permanent employees (25.2 per cent).
“What’s really driving demand for ICT [contractors] right now is business transformation projects,” he said in a statement.
“Organisations are using innovations in technology to identify ways to reduce costs or increase revenue, which goes a long way towards explaining these results.”
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Davis added that the Coalition government’s Federal Budget which is due to be announced in May could also be having an influence. For example, organisations may be using contract workers until the Budget delivers “greater clarity” on whether to invest in permanent staff members.
According to Davis, organisations require the following skills from contractor project managers, change managers and business analysts.
These are:
- The ability to communicate effectively within the organisation and help deliver business solutions to effect the required changes.
- Integrate solutions into existing technology environments to enable projects.
- Software development capabilities, particularly for mobile, as organisations invest more heavily in improved customer contact and interaction
In addition, Davis said that the ability to operate and communicate with others, to work with competing priorities and learn new domains are all important competences.
“As an IT professional, it is important that you stay relevant. Technology continues to change at a rapid pace and those IT professionals that invest in their own development, keep their certifications up to date and stay abreast of the latest developments are the ones that will find the market to be favourable,” he said.
“Those who can’t learn new skills or resist changes within their organisations are more likely to struggle.”
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