Upswing in demand, salaries for telecom and networking staff

The job market for telecommunications and networking skills is going strong, featuring fatter salaries and greater demand than the rest of the IT sector, according to recent findings from Robert Half International (RHI), a Menlo Park CA-based international recruiting firm. In 2007, Canadian IT professionals overall are seeing increases in starting salaries of 3.5% over last year's figures, according to the Robert Half 2007 Salary Guide, which is based on thousands of job orders and placements made by the company. However, salaries for telecommunications managers are increasing at faster rate than the rest of the IT pack. Base compensation is projected to increase 6% for this category in 2008, with a starting salary range of $68,000 to $91,250, according to the guide. Networking is the job category experiencing the most growth, though, according to a survey of 270 CIOs conducted by RHI in the third quarter of 2007. Microsoft Windows administration for Server 2000/2003 remains the most sought-after skill set, cited by 81% of CIOs, with network administration for Cisco Systems and Nortel Networks running a close second with 76% of respondents. Nearly half of survey respondents say that business expansion is the primary factor creating the need for more staff. CIOs in the booming construction and retail sectors note that they anticipate solid employment gains this year. There's a scarcity of qualified IT candidates in general due to sociological forces such as retiring boomers and reduced enrollments in computer science programs, says Igor Abramovitch, division director for RHI's Toronto office. "There's a lot of outflow and not much fresh inflow," he says.Business growth is a key driver for hiring more telecom and network staff, as many companies are expanding and opening new sites. "Many have multiple offices and locations wired together on the same backbone, so they're looking for people with experience in multi-site environments, where one might be in India and another in L.A. but share documents," Abramovitch says.But there are also some specific technologies driving demand for telecommunications skills, and VoIP is an example of an area generating huge demand. "VoIP is seen as a great cost-cutter and productivity tool, and it's made related positions more important," he says. "They want experienced people who can set up the system, administer it and handle all aspects." Companies are now looking for deeper VoIP skills than they have in the past, however. "While people may know how to administer it, they may not know how to set it up from scratch," Abramovitch says. And many companies are now moving to the next level, looking for ways to optimize their newly-implemented VoIP systems. "There are many things that can be done around optimizing, but there are so many different systems, capabilities and ways they can be optimized that it's hard to find people who know it all," he says.The proliferation of mobile devices is another driver. While having skills in managing this area was once a plus, this is now becoming a standard requirement for positions, says Abramovitch. "With the explosion of BlackBerries, mobile phones and wireless communications, there's been a lot of movement. So jobs have changed: networking now becomes wireless, and if you haven't worked in this area, then you're behind."Security is a constant requirement, but this has been augmented as companies are scrambling to comply with the corporate governance requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) to implement proper security and controls around their financial systems. "One of the basics of security is network and physical security, so companies need people with these skills, not necessarily just on the software side but also the cabling and actual physical network," Abramovitch says, adding securing wireless networks is also important. "Historically, wireless has gone hand-in-hand with security, as you can't physically constrain the network," he says.While demand for IT security professionals is also on the upswing, few companies have the luxury of having separate, dedicated telecom and IT security staff. Different companies require different mixes of skills, depending on how their IT organizations are set up. "But I see more demand for telecom guys with security knowledge than the reverse, security guys knowing about telecom," Abramovitch says. Technical skills in telecom and networking are not hard to find, but finding those in combination with business acumen is often difficult. Staff need to understand the business environment, and which systems and functions have priority. "Techies often say, if I'm supporting a server in a bank versus a hospital, it's all the same - but it's not true," he says.While a perfect match is not often possible when searching for industry skills, Abramovitch says it plays a crucial role in hiring decisions. "If I were hiring someone for say, a trading floor, I'd look for someone who's worked in a high stress environment where it's really critical everything's double-checked three times. I may hire someone who's supported doctors or stock brokers, as users in these environments tend to be demanding with low tolerance for mistakes," he explains.

Upswing in demand, salaries for telecom and networking staff

News | July 23, 2007

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