Tech jobs report: Security, devops, and big data stay hot

If you’re wondering what IT skill sets to acquire, security and devops are doing well in the job market. Pay for cloud skills, however, is eroding.

Research firm Foote Partners’ latest quarterly IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index determined that the market value for 404 of the 450 IT certifications it tracks had increased for 12 consecutive quarters. Market values rose for noncertified IT skills for the fifth consecutive quarter.

Foote’s report is based on data provided by 2,845 North American private and public sector employers, with data compiled from January to April 1. (Noncertified skills include skills that are in demand but for which there is no official certification, Foote spokesman Ted Lane noted.)

In the security space, Foote found that values for 76 certifications have been on a slow and steady path upward for two years, with an 8.7 percent average increase. The certifications’ values have risen 6.3 percent in the past year. “Strong-performing certifications in the first three months of 2016 were those in IT security management and architecture, penetration testing, forensics, and cybersecurity,” the report said.

Security needs will only grow as cybercrime and hacking continue to grow, Foote said. “Employers are becoming much more aware that they don’t have the right people in their security,” said David Foote, chief analyst at Foote Partners.

The report also finds devops gaining “serious traction,” with companies looking to bridge the gap between developers and operations.