Demand for IT security contractors on the rise

IT security professionals are the most sought-after contractors within the UK jobs market according to new research from Sonovate, the recruitment finance provider.

Overall growth for contract security roles has reached a year-on-year high of 19%, and this level of demand is set to grow by 30% over the course of 2016, the company says.

The data, based on the number of active roles advertised either directly or via recruitment agencies, highlights that the demand for IT security professionals is closely followed by roles in user experience (UX), recording a 17% year-on-year growth and architecture (5%).

Within IT security, the highest month-on-month demand is for consultants (52%), with network security engineers (26%) and analysts (24%) a close second and third.

Richard Prime, co-CEO and co-founder of Sonovate, said of the rises: “IT security has always been important for companies looking to protect their business interests – something which has only been reinforced by the recent spate of high-profile data breaches and cyber-attacks. In addition, changing attitudes to work have resulted in a burgeoning contractor market.”

“There’s a real appetite for high-quality contractors at the moment. This research says one thing loud and clear: it’s a great time to be an IT security recruiter, especially one with an eye for opportunity.”

In a separate survey, developer website Stack Overflow has identified that most developers are open to new career opportunities. Its study found that 27% of the UK’s developers aren’t interested in new job opportunities, but 73% are either actively looking or ‘open to new opportunities’.

The survey also revealed that the average UK developer is a man in his late twenties, with six-plus years of programming experience, earning an annual salary of £45,387. This makes UK developers some of the highest paid in Europe (London’s developers earn £59,758 on average).

However, many developers see recruiters as a stumbling block between them and their perfect role – more than half (51%) labeled recruiters as the most annoying part of the job search process, with most pointing to their lack of knowledge about the industry.