Cloud Skills Top LinkedIn’s Hot List

/ 14th February 2016 /

LinkedIn took time away from its tanking share price dilemma this week to reveal the top 25 skills that got Irish professionals hired in 2015. The list is based on analysis of all of the hiring and recruiting activity that occurred on LinkedIn last year.

Cloud computing skills topped the list, followed by statistical analysis and data mining abilities. SEO/SEM marketing aptitudes were the third most in-demand skills.

LinkedIn said that companies were recruiting candidates with cloud computing, big data and IT security skills well into the final months of 2015, suggesting that professionals with one or more of these skills were likely to continue to garner interest from recruiters in 2016.

This was the first year that the research was conducted in Ireland. Comparing the Irish data to other countries, a number of trends were observed by LinkedIn. Among them was the growth in demand for experts in data storage, retrieval and analysis.

Key Trends

LinkedIn also noted the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) skills generally. In the 14 countries featured as part of LinkedIn’s research, STEM skills made up the majority of the top 25 list.

Another trend noticed by LinkedIn was the resurgence in the jobs market, which was reflected by the inclusion of professionals with recruitment experience in LinkedIn’s list of top 25 skills. From an Irish perspective, the firm said that this trend was highly evident, with recruiters and HR professionals both in demand by companies.

Commenting about the Irish research, Wendy Murphy (pictured), senior HR director for LinkedIn EMEA, said: “Technology skills are highly valued by Irish employers, which may not come as a complete surprise, given the growth in the sector in Ireland last year.

“For anyone looking to retrain, the top 25 skills gives a good sense of what employers are looking for when considering going back to further education. We would encourage people to ensure that they include their skills on their profile to make it easier for potential employers to find them.”