The demand for agile development skills is outstripping supply according to two independent studies conducted in 2012 by CWJobs and Yoh IT and appears likely to continue in 2013.
- 2010 - 3,283 jobs.
- 2011 - 5,767 jobs.
- 2012 - 6,441 jobs.
- Advertised agile jobs outnumbered candidates 4.59 to 1.
- Some of the top job posters for agile over the last two years were: Microsoft, Fidelity, Amazon.com, Hewlett Packard, and IBM.
- The top three job titles requiring agile skills: java developer, software engineer and project manager.
- Agile job postings = 558,198.
- Active agile candidates = 121,876.
- The demand is not evenly spread. It is highest in Washington, California, Oregon, Minnesota, New York and Massachusettes.
Some conclusions reached by these studies:
- Contractors and consultants are in the best position to meet the skills shortage as companies increasingly turn outward to acquire the knowledge they lack internally.
- Because the agile experienced talent pool is low relative to the demand, there is a high likelihood of recruiters getting a low quality agile candidate.
- Adoption of agile methodologies has accelerted in the last half decade, but the training for front line developers has not kept pace.