In the latest Robert Half Professional Hiring Index, a staggering 46 per cent of 100 CIOs surveyed reported that data management skill was what they demanded most. Data management skills were followed by network administration or engineering skills (41 per cent), Windows administration (36 per cent), desktop support (33 per cent) and business intelligence and reporting services (28 per cent). Neil Hedges, senior manager at Robert Half Technology UK said: "Big Data is becoming a significant issue for organisations. Many are struggling to manage the vast amount of information passing through the business, and lack the tools required to analyse it in a reasonable timeframe, using conventional techniques. "Demand is outweighing supply in certain areas and companies are struggling to attract the requisite talent to support this change." It's not just the growth of unstructured data, for example, from social media functions such as Twitter or Facebook, that has deemed data management important, but also the fact that businesses have to prepare for changes in regulatory requirements, such as the European insurance solvency regulations Solvency II or Basel III in the banking sector. In addition, Robert Half predicted a skills shortage in new technology areas, such as in mobile and cloud computing. This view is based on the finding that 38 per cent of CIOs said they would make investment in mobile solutions top of their agenda. Other plans for investment in the next 12 months included virtualisation (35 per cent), information risk and security (35 per cent), application development (34 per cent) and customer and partner collaboration (28 per cent). "Mobile solutions have been a top priority for CIOs, particularly as companies look to provide remote working access for their employees. As new platforms such as cloud computing, tablet computers and smartphones continue to gain momentum, IT professionals skilled in these areas will be in high demand," added Hedges. |
