16.09.2018

Java. Is a shortage of skills creating a vacuum of available staff?

Java is the most popular programme out there, with many IT job sites reporting that Java was consistently the most requested skill in candidates and that there is no sign of the demand decreasing. But despite its popularity in the industry, it appears there aren’t enough Java developers around to fill the necessary roles. Hiring managers find it one of the most difficult roles to fill followed by mobile developers and .NET developers.

One struggle with finding a Java Developer fit for the role in a company is that hiring managers are mainly trying to recruit Java developers with extensive experience, typically looking for those with 2 to 5 years’ experience followed by the preference of a candidate with 6 to 10 years. However, it has been seen in the past couple of years that companies are starting to shift training responsibility directly on to the individuals themselves.

If tech companies can start to offer more training opportunities in the workplace, we may see a rise of talent in the industry as well as more experienced candidates that the industry demands. Opening the horizon to apprenticeship and graduate schemes can be a great step for larger companies to take to support the tech industry and aspiring Java developers.

To Java developers, a shortage may be great news for their bargaining power for a great salary package, and this may certainly become the case soon. Companies may be struggling to recruit the perfect candidates because they don’t know where to look. A report from Stack Overflow shows that a shortage of Java Developers may not be the case, with 73% of Developers actively looking for new job opportunities.

If companies can put more money behind their recruitment process and look at the option of turning to specialist Java recruiters, who understand the industry inside and out and know what talent is out there, then finding the perfect candidate for your needs will have a much higher success rate.

So, to answer the question as to whether there is a shortage of Java Developers: There is a much higher demand for Java Developers than there was 5 years ago, however there are plenty of individuals out there actively seeking Java Developer roles, whether that be experienced Java Developers or apprentices, companies just need to look at other recruitment strategies such as specialist recruiters in order to find the right candidate.


Posted by: CloudScope Recruitment