As computing students across the UK return to school, Akamai, a cloud delivery platform, has good news for those considering a future in cloud skills and technology. Using industry data from UK jobs site IT Jobs Watch, it finds that the number of cloud engineering roles has increased by 18 per cent over the past year, while roles for senior cloud engineers have risen by 34 per cent.
The statistics, taken on 31st August, also reveal the changing demand in skills required by businesses to cope with increasing cloud adoption.
In particular, the cloud skills needed for successful cloud migration, and more nuanced skills across a range of areas, including cloud management, cybersecurity and application development, have all seen a rise in demand.
With concerns that the UK is facing a growing IT skills gap, Akamai highlights the skills which young people will need to develop to begin building their career within the cloud industry:
Cloud migration: As organisations increasingly migrate their business to the cloud, demand for expertise in the varying cloud platforms, such as AWS, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure, have grown.
Vacancies requiring proficiency in Microsoft Azure increased 62 per cent, while roles requiring AWS rose by 37 per cent. Proficiency in Google Cloud Platform, the youngest of the major cloud competitors, has seen a meteoric growth in demand of 116 per cent. Both Microsoft Azure and AWS have introduced courses to help cloud engineers gain the specific skills needed for their platforms
Cybersecurity: As businesses migrate more of their data to the cloud, it is crucial it’s stored securely to protect it from the growing threats of cyberattacks. With the General Data Protection Regulation coming into effect next year, it’s also important to hire expertise which helps businesses comply with these laws:
Notably, roles requiring certified cloud security professional status rose in demand by 70 per cent in the past year, and a staggering 2,566 per cent since 2015
Other cybersecurity skills and qualifications are also on the rise, with companies increasingly looking for people with security monitoring skills, which rose by 12 per cent over the last twelve months
Demand for individuals that possess a GIAC Security Essentials Certification also rose by 149 per cent
App management: Businesses need to make the most of their cloud, which can involve creating or using applications. Some of the skills involved in managing cloud apps, including micro-services and Kubernetes, have grown:
Micro-service skills, which help break down monolithic applications and processes into manageable clusters, rose in demand by 114 per cent since the same time last year. Meanwhile, demand for proficiency in Google Kubernetes, a platform which helps ensure that services are always scaled to demand, increased by 248 per cent
Ian Florey, solutions engineering manager at Akamai UK comments, ‘These figures are encouraging for young students considering a career in the cloud industry. The demand for increasingly complex and specific cloud skills is a sign that the UK is moving beyond simply adopting the cloud, to embracing the benefits it can provide. With cloud technology becoming the backbone of business infrastructure across the world, demand for these technologies will increase. It’s crucial we nurture the talents of the UK’s students now, to combat concerns that the UK is facing a skills deficit, and ensure we have the skills available to manage and innovate these technologies in the future.’
Further reading on cloud skills
