Cloud Computing Leaders on a Hiring Binge

While much of the U.S. economy experiences a "jobless recovery," the cloud computing sector is hiring like mad. Demand for technologists with cloud skills is surging, as shown in the trend line for listings of cloud computing positions at the job search engine Indeed (see above). That trend is borne out in the current job listings from two of the largest cloud providers:

Amazon.com currently has job listings for more than 900 technical jobs, including at least 423 positions at Amazon Web Services, the company's cloud computing operation. (via Dave Ohara).

Rackspace Hosting is looking to fill 100 available positions in various IT areas at an upcoming job fair, Rackerpalooza 2011. Most of the growth at Rackspace over the past year has occurred in the company's cloud computing business (link via My San Antonio).

Poaching Likely to Increase

A recent survey from accounting firm BDO found that cloud adoption was a factor in technology companies' plans to boost hiring in 2011. Forty six percent of CFOs at tech companies said they expect  to boost employee headcount this year, while just 7 percent expected staff to decrease.

"Technology companies have switched gears from survival to growth mode," said Hank Galligan, leader in the Technology and Life Sciences Practice at BDO USA, LLP. "The flexibility and scalability of cloud computing created cost-effective infrastructures that allowed adopters to weather the recession and emerge ahead of the curve. These forward-thinking companies are now giving the green light to new initiatives, and plan to devote resources to attracting and retaining top talent."

The demand for cloud technologists may also lead to more  poaching of experienced workers from competitors. A recent survey by Dice.com found that 62 percent of hiring managers and recruiters anticipate that tech talent poaching will get more aggressive this year, while just 1 percent of respondents saw it receding. "There are few consequences for technology professionals should they decide to jump to a competitor," Dice reports. "Only 11 percent of hiring managers said they would not allow a former employee to return after being poached."