Gaming has taken off massively in Ireland over the past 10 years which has had a knock on effect on the I.T. industry also. There is a skills shortage in Ireland for Gaming developers with 3D and OpenGL skills. If you are interested in hearing about more Gaming opportunities please check out or website for the job the spec or contact Fiona Richardson on 01 4321 555 or frichardson@morganmckinley.ie

http://www.morganmckinley.ie/job/894076/gaming-developer-dublin

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/digital-life/item/18306-gamer-expo-2010-set-for/

Senior positions such as IT Advisory, Audit, Governance, Risk and Release Management are becoming a necessary requirement for Professional Services and some of our FS clients. 

We have seen a growth in Technical support with Languages and Network Engineer positions

Skills especially certified in Vmware, Citrix and Cisco with a noticeable decline in Field Service and 1^st level Support vacancies’. 

C++ continues to be a popular skill set at the moment, most notably in niche software development houses, the gaming sector, telecommunications and the contact centre space. Candidates with a strong mathematical background with the ability to absorb complicated algorithms are in demand. In the .Net space, the latest versions of C# (3.5 and 4.0) coupled with technologies such as LINQ and OO Programming are desirable across all markets.

Contract Developers are still in high demand with a special focus on Business Intelligence requirements noticed a slight decline in new jobs registered in July in line with seasonal trends.

Keen to hear your thoughts on the above;

Our figures estimated a quarter-on-quarter rise of as much 1pc in Irish economic growth during the first three months of the year, which technically points to the end of the recession. What can we attribute our success over the dreaded recession? One area that has held strong throughout 2010 was Foreign Direct Investments from the US. Despite the odd wobble like Dell and Pfizer, FDI has remained quite strong throughout 2009 for Ireland and IT has proved to be a good source of employment.

HP, McAfee, EA and Blizzard are just some of the companies that have created multiple positions for highly skilled IT professionals last year. Verkom, part of the Premier Group has secured exclusive recruitment contracts with companies such as D&B and BSB who are hiring multiple highly skilled Java developers and IT /other professionals for their new Dublin based hubs. As we globally emerge from recession it is fair to say that we are turning a corner, smiling at the USA and grateful for our highly-skilled IT workforce.

http://www.irishexaminer.ie/ireland/figures-show-recession-ended-at-start-of-year-123837.html

For more information from our Employment Monitor, please download it at http://www.premier.ie/IrishEmploymentMonitor_May.pdf

The barrier for entry to this lucrative multibillion dollar multi-platform gaming industry may be too big for Irish firms given the costly nature of the business. If Irish firms have any chance of future success in the industry, clever niches in areas like casual gaming and other supporting fields must be identified.

Being realistic it would cost millions to develop a game like Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty for the Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo platforms. However one can look at the Irish Software Company which was formed by a team of Trinity College Dublin graduates, who developed and sold on the off-the-shelf middleware that allowed developers to add online multi-player abilities to their games. Their software was a driving force behind the success of big titled games.

Opportunities in smaller animation based projects could provide a solution in breaking down the barriers to entry in the gaming business. Success in animation and mobile technology prove that there are opportunities in the gaming industry and create a high demands for skilled developers with C++ being one of the languages of choice.

With the development of 3D television, and Television becoming more internet-based and IT focused there will be more opportunities in software and middleware, as well as audio visual. The future for the Irish gaming industry looks positive.

http://gpwiki.org/index.php/DemonWare

With an increased focus on Data, we are seeing a huge increase in demand for skilled Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence professionals.  Common roles include Data Warehouse Support, Business Objects Consultants, Business Intelligence Developers and Data Warehouse consultants.  Many companies are formalizing their Information and Data Management strategies and assessing current systems support of information needs.  As a result, people with significant knowledge of Data Warehouse concepts are in high demand along with those who have experience of managing Data Intensive initiatives.

The security industry is also set for a busy time as a result of the spotlight on data and information.  It is predicted that by 2020 the amount of files needing higher levels of security would be 50% of the total, up from an estimated 30% this year.

Those in the Cloud Computing business will be happy with these findings as this report also predicts that a third of all data will be residing in the cloud by 2020.

To those of us within the IT world it’s a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun and released in 1995.  It is one of the most influential languages of the 20^th century and is widely used from application software to web applications.

To those of us who specialise in Recruitment it’s currently the hottest ticket in town!

We have been sourcing Java Developers in Ireland for the past number of  years and apart from a few well known “famine patches” have found demand for these skills to be fairly consistent.

Right now,  many companies are crying out for good Developers who have a few years commercial experience!!

It is easy to get the impression from the media that there are lots of IT professionals eagerly searching for non existent positions but there are definitely certain skills where the case is in reality the opposite!

So the moral of the story is that if you are currently working in Java and feel like making a move, be brave, the grass can actually be greener on the other side and you won’t know unless you take a look!

With mobile phone sales on the increase year on year, clearly this is a profitable industry that has potential to drive forward our recovery.

Recent research conducted by the Gartner technology industry research group noted a 17% increase in mobile phone sales in quarter 1 of this year compared to 2009, with Smartphone models (phones with internet access) leading the way.

As expected, Nokia have topped the pole with 35% of the market, with Samsung trailing closely behind claiming a further 20.6%.

As for Smartphone sales, Nokia again hold the title with over 44.3%, whilst RIM, Apple and Google share the remainder of the market.

But what does this mean for you and me? Well we can already see the inevitable effect of profitable sales in the mobile market with O2 announcing 100 new jobs in the European HQ in Dublin. These new positions will act as a support function to 02’s expanding workforce. And that in my opinion is good news for all!!

 http://www.rte.ie/business/2010/0519/mobile.html

Since our 2009 Salary Guide the Irish employment market has clearly undergone significant changes and continues to experience very challenging economic conditions.  In the midst of such uncertainty we have commissioned an “up to the minute” salary guide which we feel will be of significant benefit to both employers and job seekers alike.

The Premier Group guide is the best and definitive guide to salaries in the Finance, IT, Technical and Office Support sectors. 

Find out the latest salaries and hiring trends for 2010 on http://www.verkom.ie/salary-guide-2010