The Worldwide Web Consortium has published a complete definition of the HTML5 specification, putting it on track for a final version in 2014. That’s created quite a buzz, as my colleague Carl Weinshenk pointed out.
Indeed reports that HTML5 is the fastest-growing keyword found in online job postings.
Yet UK job site CWJobs has reported that demand for agile development skills will soon overtake demand for HTML skills. Indeed doesn’t seem to have a graphic on that, though demand is hot in the United States as well. My colleague Ann All and I puzzled over comparing the two, since agile is a development process and HTML5 is a Web development language.
The number of agile development jobs posted outnumbers the number of qualified candidates by a ratio of almost 5:1, according to research by Yoh, a head-hunting company using data from CareerBuilders. While knowledge of specific tools is important, employers are more interested in candidates with experience working on agile development teams and with knowledge of that process, according to Joel Capperella, vice president of marketing for Yoh.
A bad hire can negatively affect the whole team, a GigaOM piece points out, and companies need to make clear to candidates how mature their agile process is.
Locations rated by Yoh as having “ridiculous pressure” to find agile candidates include the West Coast, Utah, Minnesota, New York and Massachusetts.
It says 87 percent of the agile work force has more than six years of experience and more than 90 percent have a bachelor’s degree or more. “That means hiring a veteran agile developer could get expensive. Your only other option is to train an inexperienced developer and hope your investment pays off,” according to a Yoh infographic. The average salary is $110,781. Oh, and 77 percent don’t want to relocate.
Based on a survey from the Agile2012 conference in Dallas, Serena Software reports that agile teams have coalesced around key agile practices, but communication with customers, operations and other development teams is the biggest threat to agile success.
