Open Source Jobs Report: DevOps and Networking are Red Hot

The 2016 Open Source Jobs Report from The Linux Foundation has arrived, and it is based on feedback from nearly 5,000 open source professionals, and produced in conjunction with careers site Dice.com. It shows that DevOps is emerging as a red hot job category, and that there is healthy demand for networking administrators.

Here are details.

Recruiting open source talent is a top priority for many hiring managers focused on technology talent, and recruiters are increasingly looking for more professional training credentials from their candidates. According to the Open Source Jobs Report, 65 percent of hiring managers say open source hiring will increase more than any other part of their business over the next six months, and 79 percent of hiring managers have increased incentives to hold on to their current open source professionals. Those are mighty big numbers.

This survey from The Linux Foundation previously focused on Linux, but has a wider scope now. Among the key findings:

DevOps is among the most sought after skills in the industry. Fifty-eight percent of hiring managers are seeking DevOps professionals while the need for developers remains the top position on their list at 74 percent. Open source professionals also feed this trend as 13 percent of the surveyed identified DevOps as the most in-demand skill today - more than any other category.

Networking is a leading emergent technology. As the second most in-demand knowledge area, 21 percent of hiring managers say networking has the biggest impact on open source hiring. The only higher category, at 51 percent of surveyed hiring managers, is knowledge of OpenStack, CloudStack and related cloud technologies.

Open source professionals are driven to innovate and collaborate. Only two percent of professionals stated that money and perks were the best thing about their jobs. Working on interesting projects tops the list with 31 percent, while working on the most cutting-edge technology challenges (18%) and collaborating with a global community (17%) are also high on open source professionals’ lists.

“Demand for open source talent is growing and companies struggle to find experienced professionals to fill open roles,” said Bob Melk, President of Dice. “Rising salaries for open source professionals indicate companies recognize the need to attract, recruit and retain qualified open source professionals on a global scale.”

“It’s a seller’s market and it’s only going to get more beneficial for open source professionals,” said Jim Zemlin, Executive Director at the Linux Foundation. “As more and more open source projects are developed, open source professionals will need to update their skillsets with knowledge and experience including DevOps and networking. Ongoing training and certifications will be the key to growing their expertise and keeping a competitive edge.”

 You can view a detailed infographic highlighting the survey's key findings here.