London, UK -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/01/2013 -- Demand for developers is continuing to grow with the surge in mobile and internet technologies as well as society's everyday dependence on IT.
But whether this rising demand is brought about by the demand for technology and changing shopping behaviour or another great recession remains to be seen.
By the end of 2009, despite the job losses caused by the recession, developer jobs saw a massive 50% increase, of approximately 8,000 to 12,000 jobs, which have continued to grow by 3% year on year ever since as businesses continue to invest in the online market.
“Whenever high street spending has been poor, online spending has been high,” explains Helen Bayram, Marketing Manager at Technojobs. “Although public spending is down year on year as more people search for the best deals online.”
The Mirror reported a 20% increase in online shopping during the 2012 Christmas period and that by March 2013 around 4,000 stores are expected to close due to competition from online retail, with an acceleration in chains closing stores to focus more on online operations.
Ever since HMV failed to react quickly to the arrival of music downloading and internet retailing, while Blockbuster lost out to streaming services, businesses have continued cutting back on high street retail units in favour of developing their online presence.
Additionally, the rise of Smartphones, social networks, internet speeds and digital connectivity has changed the lifestyle of the average person considerably and in doing so, challenged businesses to keep up with constant changes in consumer behaviour.
Smartphone growth is accelerating at an astounding pace. In 2012 Strategy Analytics reported that it took 15 years from 1996 to 2011, to reach 708 million smartphone devices worldwide, but it took only one year for another 300 million to come online.
Based on current trends, the Computer Technology Industry Associated projected that developer jobs are expected to grow 22% by 2020, in what many IT specialists are calling the decade of the developer – Especially when mobile ultra-broadband internet access becomes available.
“Having access to 4G opens up more possibilities for Smartphone users and developers because of the reduced loading time,” said Miss Bayram. “So interaction can be faster and with more advanced features.”
With increased connectivity and internet speeds, having a multi-platform strategy is expected to become standard procedure for companies in the way having a website is basic requirement for online business today.
At the moment, second screen apps for tablets are the latest trend to accompany high profile TV programmes, DVDs and video games, but more advanced apps could be in development.
Meanwhile, the expected rise in demand for developers presents an interesting opportunity in the jobs market, because developer languages can be readily self-taught using free online resources.
For example, Android apps are built in Java while Apple provides the free SDK software for iPhone development from their developer site; enabling would-be developers to have tremendous opportunities for self tuition and creativity.
“While many companies may want to employ a team of developers, they will still need someone to manage them” added Miss Bayram. “So we also expect to see the number of IT manager jobs rise to match the increase in developers.”
Meanwhile, the rise in developer jobs could provide a flicker of hope for intelligent and proactive under-twenties struggling in an increasingly difficult jobs market - Especially when work experience, self tuition and personal projects are deemed better qualifications by employers than expensive university degrees.
But whether the rise of developer jobs and the digital age is born from our growing love of technology or a struggling economy seeking new sources of revenue remains to be seen.
About Technojobs.co.uk
Technojobs is a specialist technical job board and has been online since 1999. It serves the following technology sectors: IT, Electronics, Engineering, Telecoms. Technojobs currently has over 300,000 registered candidates. Having been online for 14 years, the brand is well known amongst candidates and recruiters alike.
Media contact details:
Helen Bayram
Marketing Manager
Technojobs Limited
50 Broadway
London SW1H ORG
Tel: 0203 151 4024
Email: hbayram@technojobs.co.uk