Casting a Wide .Net: These Developers Are in High Demand

As the third quarter of 2012 began, CareerBuilder.com listed 13,971 open jobs for .Net developers. Despite an average annual salary of $85,863 and top salaries that achieve six figures, employers are struggling to fill these positions. Here’s a closer look at the dynamics behind hiring .Net developers right now – and why they are such a hot catch.

Why so many openings?

There are a couple of reasons why companies are finding .Net experts hard to find. “Part of the gap between supply and demand is that technology workers are concerned that if they specialize in .NET application development, they will not be able to easily branch out to other platforms,” explains Alice Hill, managing director of Dice.com. “Another worry among technology professionals is the money gap. Dice research indicates tech professionals who regularly develop for .NET earn about $83,000 a year, compared with more than $91,000 for those specializing in Java.” Then there’s the rapid increase in demand for web-based services. According to IT hiring expert Bill Peppler, “As companies rush to integrate these web services through new applications, the role of the .NET developer has never been more important. As the builders of the framework upon which a majority of these web services and applications are based, their services have never been in greater demand.”

Where are the jobs?

The top three hiring cities, revealed by CareerBuilder.com’s Supply & Demand Portal, were New York, Chicago and Atlanta. But candidates wanting to relocate to places other than these big three should look carefully – some .Net jobs may be hiding behind other titles such as “mobile developer”, “web developer” or “software developer”. Cities where these job titles are in high demand include San Francisco and Los Angeles.

What are the requirements?

With demand so strong, many tech-minded professionals may be taking a closer look at the .Net career path. According to The Workbuzz by CareerBuilder.com, the average level of education for a .Net developer is a Bachelor’s degree (49%), followed by a Master’s degree (34%). The most popular major was computer science, followed by business administration and management information systems. Newbies might not be in such a hurry to apply, however; most employers are looking for candidates with at least 6-10 years of experience (32%), and only 14% of those surveyed would consider applicants with five years of experience or less.

If you’ve been struggling to land good .Net developers for your organization, turn to the technology staffing experts at Triumph Services for help! Our extensive experience, finely tuned recruiting process and deep pool of quality candidates offer you the best chance at finding top talent no matter how tough a catch they may be. And if you are a candidate with .Net experience, Triumph Services can help you choose the right position to showcase your skills. Contact us today!