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GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY TREND REPORT
H1 | JAN-JUN

2. GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY TREND REPORT
In line with our commitment to keep professionals in Technology up to date with
employment and recruitment trends, in April 2013 Morgan McKinley conducted
international research with its consultants in eight markets. While the responses
varied between these markets, it is possible to draw some overall conclusions;
• The mood is cautiously positive – half of the eight
markets see the situation as improving, the other
half see no discernible change. None say that things
are getting worse
• Overwhelmingly, recruitment is focused equally on
replacement and new hires
• Economic uncertainty is a factor in most markets
– nobody is quite sure if the economy has turned the
corner or will dip back into recession
• Structural change in the IT landscape is a factor in
several markets but in general, these are stimulating
rather than depressing demand
• Overall, recruitment budgets are static or declining
• Mobile is currently the top specialist area driving
demand, though not in all markets and its influence
is expected to diminish in the future.
• Big data and analytics, traditional on-premise ERP
and data centre management are also among the
most sought-after specialist areas
• Social media is not an important driver of demand
within IT
• Cost saving is the main factor depressing demand
• Cloud computing is not having a major impact on
recruitment in most markets
• Project management is an important skill for
candidates almost everywhere
• Organisational change is a key driver of demand
• In the majority of markets our consultants believe
that candidates will become more proactive in
seeking jobs over the next six months and beyond
In this report we have provided a more detailed
description of the trends we have observed in each
of our markets and we hope this gives you some
further insight.
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QUICK LINKS
AUSTRALIA...............................................2
CHINA.......................................................3
FRANCE.....................................................4
HONG KONG..........................................5
IRELAND...................................................6
JAPAN........................................................ 7
SINGAPORE.............................................8
UNITED KINGDOM................................9

3. AUSTRALIA
GETTING BETTER AS COMPANIES STRIVE TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
The market in Australia shows signs of picking up, driven by structural
changes in the IT landscape and the need to improve customer
experience via digital and mobile channels.
A striking feature of the Australian market impacting on recruitment
patterns is the delay in the uptake and roll-out of Windows 7. One of
our consultants says, “Many organisations will be cutting it very fine
in terms of ensuring they have upgraded before Microsoft switches off
support for earlier releases.”
Economic uncertainty is also a strong influencing factor, with budget
approvals being given or withheld depending on the current mood and
the business case. Where the business case is strong and immediate
(for example mobile implementations, customer experience, digital
and online, productivity initiatives) budgets are getting the go-
ahead. Conversely, budgets are often being slashed in areas such
as infrastructure and application upgrades such as the roll-out of
Windows 7.
There is clearly an increasing demand for digital and mobile architects
and project managers who have a proven understanding of how to
increase customer satisfaction and enhance customer experience to
optimise revenues.
There is adequate local supply to meet demand.To succeed, candidates
need to understand and communicate their value proposition. “In order
to differentiate yourself in this competitive market you need to clearly
demonstrate the value that you have added to the organisations that
you have worked with. Ideally this value should be quantifiable and tied
to a result which created revenue, cut costs or boosted productivity,”
our consultants advise.
In Australia, Morgan McKinley focuses on senior IT appointments and
we observe that Chief Information Officers still come mainly from the
IT function. At the general IT executive level, there is a trend towards
hiring or promoting IT professionals that have a strong sector or
product alignment experience.
For example, it is not uncommon to hire a digital media guru with a
non-financial services background to head up a digital practice within a
financial services company.
An MBA or similar business qualification is a huge asset when trying to
land a senior IT role.
THE BOTTOM LINE
CAREER MOVERS
Simply stating achievements without tying them to a
tangible value is no longer enough. Understand and
communicate your value proposition. Work with your career
ally to restructure your CV around this proposition and learn
how to market yourself effectively at interview.
RECRUITING EMPLOYERS
Delaying upgrades in order to cut recruitment budgets
will turn out to be a false economy in most cases.There is
some excellent talent out there and it is worth your while
to work with a strategic partner who will focus on delivering
candidates who offer best value and potential for growth
within your organisation.
Candidates and
employers should
take a long-term
view of business
value, customer
experience and
growth potential.
TOP FACTORS DRIVING TRENDS
• Structural changes in the IT landscape
• Focus on customer experience
• Economic uncertainty
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4. NO DISCERNIBLE CHANGE
The current mood of economic uncertainty makes
it hard to draw any hard conclusions on recruitment
trends in China. In some areas budgets are increasing
and in others they are static or declining. Desire to
cut costs is certainly having an overall impact on the
market. On the whole, candidates will prefer to stay
put and ride out the current economic situation.
Specialist roles currently driving demand for talent in
IT include mobile technologies and business process
re-engineering/rationalisation. However, longer term
interest in mobile is expected to subside and more
attention will be directed to filling roles in traditional
on-premise ERP. Candidates with SAP knowledge and
skills will be in demand for the foreseeable future.
It is the services sectors that are driving strongest
demand.
In this difficult market, candidates looking to take the
next step in their careers are advised to improve their
vertical sector knowledge and to develop their skills in
project management. Employers are also emphasising
the need for good communications skills in both
Mandarin and English, alongside strong technical skills.
CAREER MOVERS
Improve your technical, project management
and communication skills if you wish to move
ahead in a competitive marketplace. Your
career ally will help you identify your skills and
weaknesses.
THE BOTTOM LINE
RECRUITING EMPLOYERS
It’s a buyer’s market with an adequate local
talent pool but this situation will not last forever.
Project management and
communication skills are
highly valued, alongside
strong technical knowledge.
TOP FACTORS DRIVING TRENDS
• Economic uncertainty
• Economic downturn
• Declining or static recruitment budgets
CHINA
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5. FRANCE
In France economic uncertainty and static or declining
recruitment budgets have deterred strong candidates
from coming forward over the past few months. Most
recruitment is for replacement headcount. However,
there is strong demand for candidates with skills and
experience in mobile technologies, together with
specialists in business process re-engineering and IT
rationalisation.
Within vertical sectors there is especially strong
demand from manufacturing companies and demand
is expected to pick up in service sectors.
“It has been difficult to source strong candidates but
the signs are that this may change over the coming
year,” says one Morgan McKinley consultant in Paris.
“Now is a good time for strong candidates to seize the
opportunities that are out there.”
In particular, employers are on the look-out for
candidates with a high level of education, ideally
graduates from engineering schools or with a university
Master’s degree. “Even though experience is also very
important, French companies are always looking for
candidates with an excellent education, and indeed,
French schools equip their students with the right
skills,” says our consultant.
Candidates with skills in Ubisoft, Dassault Systèmes,
Microsoft, Oracle and SAP are much sought after.
IT professionals aiming for senior positions must
broaden their horizons. Generally speaking, a
company’s Chief Information Officer comes from
within IT (IT is very strategic for companies today,
and although it is essential to have a good grasp of
the business strategy, a CIO must bring technical
solutions and a deep knowledge of the function).
Senior IT managers must also keep an eye on the new
technologies to remain competitive and employable, in
order to be able to manage new talents effectively.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR STRONG CANDIDATES
THE BOTTOM LINE
CAREER MOVERS
Do not be put off by the current economic
uncertainty.The best way to improve your
chances is to review your situation with your
career ally on a regular monthly basis. Hone
your skills and keep an open mind about new
opportunities as they arise.
RECRUITING EMPLOYERS
You may have been disappointed by the quality
of candidates coming forward in 2012. But
the signs are that over the next year quality
candidates will be more proactive in seeking
new employers.
French companies
are always looking
to recruit people
with an excellent
education.
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TOP FACTORS DRIVING TRENDS
• Declining or static recruitment budgets
• Economic uncertainty
• Creation of talent resources centres
in large companies
• Tight recruitment budgets

6. HONG KONG
THE BOTTOM LINE
CAREER MOVERS
The lengthy recruitment processes can be
frustrating, especially when you know that
your prospective employer needs your skills!
The answer is to be patient; your career ally will
provide comprehensive details on the employer
and the interviewer and will prepare you
accordingly.
RECRUITING EMPLOYERS
Clearly there is a local talent shortage but there
is a pool of high-quality professionals, particularly
in Europe, who are looking for a move.
Companies prefer to recruit internally
for senior positions but there is a
skills shortage especially in the new-
generation technologies like mobile.
TOP FACTORS DRIVING TRENDS
• Lack of local talent
• Economic uncertainty
• Structural change in the IT landscape
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INADEQUATE LOCAL
SUPPLY CREATES OPPORTUNITIES
The recruitment market is picking up in Hong Kong and the
talent shortage is creating opportunities for good candidates.
There is particularly strong demand for IT professionals
with specialist skills in mobile technologies, data centre
management, social media, IT security and business process
re-engineering; the main source of this demand is currently
the financial services sector.
Given the current economic conditions and the talent
shortage, senior IT managers are challenged to drive down
costs while maximising outcomes. Cloud computing,
virtualisation and standardisation, outsourcing and
offshoring are all responses to this conundrum. On the
other hand, CIOs are constantly debating the efficiency of
outsourcing strategies and often prefer to retain control over
development through in-sourcing. In these circumstances,
companies are finding it difficult to reach decisions quickly
and the hiring process can be lengthy.This can be frustrating
for candidates but our advice is to hang on in there and
rely on your career ally to see you through. “We have one
candidate who had been waiting for our client’s approval for
more than nine months. During the process, we managed his
resignation from his previous role and through a short term
contract until the approval finally came through,” a Morgan
McKinley consultant in Hong Kong reports.
The talent shortage is causing many companies to recruit
from abroad and in particular from Europe, while many
functions are being outsourced. “Multinational organisations
are constantly on the lookout for recruitment process
outsourcing opportunities for technology resources,”
according to the same consultant.
Mobile and online technologies are really hot at the
moment and companies looking to recruit should
consider overseas talent.
Skills and qualifications that are in demand and will boost
a candidate’s chances to move forward include PMP in the
project management sphere. IT professionals seeking to move
forward in development roles are advised to pursue web-
based and mobile technologies such as Flex, Ruby, Python
and PHP. CISA/CISSP will be very helpful for candidates who
would like to pursue opportunities in IT security.

7. IRELAND
LOOKING FOR OVERSEAS TALENT
There are very positive signs that the Irish economy
is coming back to life. With strong inward investment
from companies looking to locate their IT operations in
Ireland, there is a growing skills shortage. In particular,
employers are seeking developers and quality
assurance (QA) engineers for software and online
development projects. We have noticed an interest in
training courses in development methodologies such
as scrum, as well as online technologies.
Experts in mobile technologies and data centre
management are also keenly sought after and there
is a growing interest in big data and analytics. “If you
want to get ahead in IT then you should focus on the
online areas, whether it be analytics or development,
as online will drive the sector in the short to medium
term,” according to one of our Dublin-based
consultants.
A surprising recent trend has been the sharp increase
in demand for user interface and user experience (UI
and UX) professionals. Candidates with knowledge of
Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, SAP and Citrix are in demand.
Consequently there are big opportunities for IT
professionals based elsewhere in Europe. Ireland is
still playing catch-up with regards to education in
technology; while the country has produced many
high quality graduates, employers tell us that there is
a shortage of well-rounded candidates who can focus
on design issues in software development, something
which is now being addressed with new courses such
as Dublin City University’s BSc in Problem Solving
and Software Development. However, the window of
opportunity for graduates from elsewhere in Europe is
unlikely to close in the foreseeable future.
The pursuit of overseas talent also applies to senior
positions. “Companies increasingly prefer to attract
new talent from outside the organisation,” our
consultant adds.
To address shortages in finding experienced talent
in the short to medium term, employers in Ireland
may need to look beyond the European Union.
Ireland’s ability to provide a fast and efficient work-
visa processing system for highly skilled technology
candidates will be critical to Ireland’s position as a
global technology hub.
In the short to medium term,
Ireland’s ability to attract
talent from across the EU
and beyond will be critical
to its position as a global
technology hub.
THE BOTTOM LINE
CAREER MOVERS
There are plenty of opportunities for people
with the right mix of IT skills. If you can add
to that an ability to solve problems and lead
development projects, the sky’s the limit.
RECRUITING EMPLOYERS
Talent is scarce so explore all options from
all sources. Also, be aware that there is a new
generation of locally educated talent coming
through.
TOP FACTORS DRIVING TRENDS
• Lack of qualified local talent
• Increased inward investment
• Structural changes to the IT landscape
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8. JAPAN SIGNIFICANT SURGE IN DEMAND IN VERTICAL SECTORS
Modernisation and inward investment in the pharmaceutical, medical,
insurance and retail industries is driving a significant surge in demand
for IT professionals in Japan. In particular, there is a strong demand
for business analysis and project management roles that serve as a
link between IT (which may be offshored) and local business users.
In addition, professionals with skills and experience in traditional
on-premise ERP and in regulatory compliance are much sought after.
There is inadequate local supply to meet this demand so companies are
looking overseas, although there is a strong preference to repatriate
Japanese nationals who are currently working abroad.
SAP, Oracle E-Business Suite and MS Dynamics are key software
competencies currently in demand.
In short, if you are Japanese, young and bilingual and are looking to
take a major leap forward in your career, learn project management
and SAP and head back to Japan!
In Japan, it is expected that IT skills are picked up on the job, Japanese
companies tend to recruit bilingual professionals with social science
degrees and then train them.
On the other hand, in some areas demand is still being depressed by
the desire to cut costs.
“Unfortunately, many companies whose corporate HQs are overseas
still do not understand the high costs of doing business in Japan,” says
one of ourTokyo-based consultants.
In the past we saw many CIOs coming from non-technology areas.
However, as IT has developed into more of a strategic IT function,
today there is quite a good pipeline of senior level candidates coming
from within IT itself.
If you are Japanese,
young and bilingual
then learn project
management
and SAP.
THE BOTTOM LINE
CAREER MOVERS
There are major opportunities if you have the right blend
of skills.
RECRUITING EMPLOYERS
Set yourself the right expectations; finding the right people
will not always be easy.Try to accelerate the hiring process
with the help of a local expert.
TOP FACTORS DRIVING TRENDS
• Upswing in demand in key verticals
• Lack of local qualified talent
• Structural change in the IT landscape
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9. SINGAPOREOPPORTUNITIES FOR LOCAL TALENT
THE BOTTOM LINE
CAREER MOVERS
Do what it takes to get ahead. And if you are wondering
what that is, speak to a career ally who can set you on the
right path. If you are a highly motivated Singaporean, the
opportunities are there.
RECRUITING EMPLOYERS
It’s understandable if your preference is to employ a local
but consider other options – it could make your organisation
more agile. Seek assistance to identify and recruit leaders in
new technology areas such as analytics – it could be key to
your organisation’s future competitiveness.
Singapore-based companies would like to employ local talent but
there is insufficient supply. Yet in many sectors they are unwilling
to consider looking abroad, the exception being financial services
companies, which are often prepared to consider candidates from
Europe or the USA. Increasingly, companies are relying on IT vendors
to fill the gaps and are moving towards direct sourcing.
So how can you get ahead in this situation? As the market for talent
gets tighter, dynamic candidates who have pushed to get involved in
exciting projects will stand out.There is a big demand for local (i.e.
Singaporean Chinese) candidates who present and communicate
effectively; they are often difficult to find but they will always secure
a good role if they come forward.
“I know local candidates who have taken elocution lessons in order
to get ahead,” according to one of our consultants in Singapore.
Candidates are also advised to get the best formal qualifications,
such as PMP for project management. SAP and Oracle are probably
the most in-demand software competencies.
At senior levels of the organisation, up to CIO, appointments are
typically made internally, sometimes from outside the IT function
(change management, finance etc).This can have it’s advantages
but the downside is that Singapore-based companies are sometimes
slow to embrace new technology trends, because there are fewer
leaders bringing in new ideas. For example, cloud computing is
a massive buzzword at the moment but the uptake is not great.
Likewise, client companies often know that analytics and big data
are hot topics but do not know where to start and need help to
identify and recruit talent.
The hottest
candidate is a local
with technical
expertise and great
communications
skills. Such a
candidate will
always land a good
position.
TOP FACTORS DRIVING TRENDS
• Economic uncertainty
• Static or declining recruitment budgets
• Lack of local supply
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10. UNITED
KINGDOM
BIG DATA IS THE BIG STORY
In the UK the current hot topics in IT are big data, data
quality and open source technologies. Candidates with
skills in these areas are likely to find good positions
regardless of the current economic uncertainty.The IT
landscape is changing, with a focus on analytics and
regulatory compliance. Surprisingly, mobile technologies
do not loom large as a specialist competence demanded
by UK companies. Across the board, the biggest concern
for large companies today is to get a grip on their data.
Within investment banks there is still a degree of caution,
as they watch each other to see who is going to take the
lead in what is an uncertain environment. In the past, we
have seen that when one company increases headcount
to build market share, the competition quickly follows.
The funds are still there but new headcount sign-off has
proved elusive. Areas within financial services where we
have seen increased activity include data architecture,
mapping, governance and migration due to continued
pressure to meet regulatory and compliance standards.
Several reputed consulting organisations are taking a
new strategic direction towards digital, mobile and big
data. One of these is increasing its UK Digital practice
from 120 to a 2015 headcount of 400.The Big Four are
also driving similar levels of growth in digital. “These
are not companies you would associate with everything
cool and funky in the IT industry but this is the new
landscape in which we are operating,” says one of our UK
consultants.
In order to stand out from the competition, candidates
should seek to gain experience or training in project
management – the Prince2 qualification is highly
valued – and in fast-track development methodologies
such as agile.
Overall there are considerable grounds for optimism
as companies embrace new approaches. However, one
other big trend, cloud computing, is tending to depress
demand for IT professionals at the moment. Recruitment
budgets are static or declining. “Many companies
would prefer to retrain rather than recruit, in particular
where the technology ecosystem is evolving,” says a
London-based consultant.They will typically only look at
candidates if they have the most relevant and up-to-date
experience. “If you worked with a piece of technology
three years ago, that’s helpful, but not as helpful as if you
have worked with every new release since.”
He adds a further interesting development; the HR
function is having the final say in many recruitment
decisions within major investment banks. “To land a
job you must get HR buy-in as well as that of the
executive director.”
CAREER MOVERS
Focus on big data analytics and open source
technologies and acquire skills in project
management and development methodologies.
Be aware that to land a great job, it’s not
enough to have the requisite IT skills. You also
need to convince HR.
THE BOTTOM LINE
RECRUITING EMPLOYERS
Candidates are becoming more proactive in
retraining and seeking new employers – it’s a
good time to take a look at the talent pool.
TOP FACTORS DRIVING TRENDS
• Static or declining recruitment budgets
• Structural changes in the IT landscape
• Economic uncertainty
Data analytics and data
quality are massive concerns
across all industry sectors in
the UK.
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A MORGAN McKINLEY GROUP COMPANY
GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY TREND REPORT