Cloud Computing Skills Demand Skyrocketing

The demand for cloud computing skills has exploded, with hiring for cloud computing expertise growing 61 percent year over year, according to a recent report from Wanted Analytics, a talent research firm.

According to the report, over the past 90 days employers and staffing firms have placed more than 10,000 job ads that included cloud computing skills and experience as requirements. Those ads came from more than 2,400 companies in that 90-day period, which ultimately pushed cloud hiring demand 61 percent year-over-year.

The need for cloud computing skills has been pushing the market for months. Solution providers are seeking cloud-ready employees to bring their businesses to the next level. Additionally, a host of major IT companies, including HP and others, have launched cloud-specific certifications to arm the market with cloud skills and competence. And solution providers like Bluewolf have begun offering training programs, which in some cases are free, to deepen the cloud computing talent pool.

The cloud computing market is evolving at such a pace that while the number of job postings is skyrocketing, the talent isn't there to fill the positions.

"There are not enough skilled resources out there," Corinne Sklar, Bluewolf vice president of marketing, has said. "There's just not enough in the market."

Eric Berridge, Bluewolf co-founder and principal, added: "The talent gap this revolution is creating is wide and dangerous … For the most part these IT pros don’t exist, and if we don’t train them, America is going to fall seriously behind."

Among the most common positions that require cloud computing experience are computer specialists and programmers, but the recent cloud boom has also created a major need for cloud expertise in software and cloud applications.

San Francisco represented the metropolitan area with the highest volume of job postings and ads seeking cloud computing skills during the past 90 days. According to Wanted Analytics, San Francisco-area recruiters placed more than 1,000 unique job listings, representing growth of 95 percent year-over-year. San Francisco was followed by Seattle, San Jose, Washington, D.C. and New York. San Jose was the only location to see a decline in the year-over-year volume of online cloud job postings, which dipped to 12 percent fewer than in the same 90-day stretch last year.

Meanwhile, Wanted Analytics found that recruiting for cloud computing is likely "moderately difficult" and conditions vary based on talent supply and hiring demand per location. For example, Washington, D.C. has some of the more difficult recruiting conditions in the U.S., Wanted Analytics said, which creates a longer time-to-fill and job ads that are posted online for longer than the national average of 44 days.

The cloud job push also extends beyond IT jobs. Positions including marketing managers, sales managers, customer service representatives and cargo and freight agents are also requiring cloud computing skills.

"Overall, hiring demand for cloud skills for jobs that aren't IT-related has been strong," Wanted Analytics said. "In the past 90 days, there have been about 3,300 job ads posted online by employers and staffing firms, representing a 70 percent year-over-year growth."