What's Happening in the IT Job Market

Posted by FGP Intl. on 08/05/10 -

by Allen Vailliencourt, FGP Tech Business Development Professional

We often get asked what the market is like for IT professionals.The demand for IT professionals has skyrocketed this year. It seems (at least in the Upstate South Carolina area) that companies are starting to turn loose some budgetary purse strings and bring on additional technical expertise as needed. We have seen a surge in hiring both for short-term contract and project roles and full-time roles as well. The companies looking for talent range from manufacturing to hi-tech and financial companies.

Companies and candidates always ask us what is “hot” on the market as far as skill sets are concerned. Because we are in this day in and day out we see trends that many others might not see (and sometimes before they hit mainstream as well). For us at FGP Technology, the hot skill sets are Microsoft .NET developers (C#), Microsoft SQL Server developers and DBA’s, Java/J2EE developers, and Business Intelligence professionals. Sprinkled throughout all this are Help Desk Technicians, Network Administrators, and the occasional IT Manager opening.

Companies are still being very cautious and the investments they are making tend to deal with software related issues. Maybe it’s a new SharePoint deployment, or an ERP upgrade, or even some custom database work to pull data for a department. Everything we are seeing is geared to making companies more efficient and productive, which in turn generates more revenue and drives profitability.

Because many companies are hiring Software Developers this has caused a shortage of talented developers. This is a great time to be a Software Developer in the Upstate and we see that the market will continue to grow, not shrink.

Salary compensation for IT professionals is stable and in some cases rising as demand increases. Although Greenville salaries are not comparable dollar-for-dollar to a larger city like Atlanta or Charlotte, when you factor in our cost of living, quality of life, etc. it makes working in IT in Greenville very nice.

It’s a great time to be in IT in the Upstate!