NEW YORK and SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The first-ever report forecasting the Linux job market shows demand for Linux skills is on the rise but that finding talent is difficult. This is triggering better salaries and bonuses for Linux professionals. 

The 2012 Linux Jobs Report released today shares the results of a recent survey of more than 2,000 hiring managers. The survey was conducted by Dice, the leading career site for technology and engineering professionals, and The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the growth of Linux.

Key statistics from the report include:

Eighty-one percent of survey respondents say that hiring Linux talent is a priority in 2012. This urgency is driving a substantial increase in recruiting activity, with nearly half (47%) of hiring managers expecting to add more Linux professionals to their firms in early 2012 and 63 percent noting Linux hires are increasing relative to jobs created in other skill areas.

But, a full 85 percent report having difficulty finding qualified Linux professionals to fill these positions, pointing to the need for more skilled Linux talent. 

In an economy where contract and temp-to-hire positions have become more prevalent, Linux professionals garner more full-time positions and better salaries, bonuses and perks. While average pay increase for tech professionals averaged just two percent in 2011, professionals with Linux skills have seen a five percent increase in salaries and a 15 percent jump in bonus payouts over the same timeframe.

Seventy-five percent of respondents cited the mid-level professional with three to five years of experience as their most-sought hires, especially those with development or systems administration skills.

"Linux jobs have become some of the hottest jobs in all of tech," said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. "Clearly, hiring managers throughout the IT tech sector understand this and are aggressively seeking Linux professionals. It is our job to meet this demand by ensuring developers and systems admins have access to the community networking opportunities and Linux training they need to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity."

With the tech industry having twice as many openings as professionals who can do the job[1], college grads to mid-career professionals are considering how to take advantage of that opportunity. Software programming has been highly touted as a lucrative area of technology, and with the increasing use of Linux and open source software across industries, Linux know-how is topping the list of most highly sought expertise in this area.

"In the last ten years, there's been no tech skill that matches Linux in terms of growth in hiring requests and size of demand and clearly it's not done," said Alice Hill, Managing Director, Dice.com. "The best Linux candidates have options and we need more talented professionals to join the community. Linux is simply a core skill for anyone pursuing a career in software development or systems administration."

To download the complete report, please visit: http://www.linuxfoundation.org/publications/linux-foundation/2012-linux-jobs-report

The 2012 Linux Jobs Report Methodology

From December 6 to December 16, 2011, Dice and The Linux Foundation surveyed hiring managers at corporations, Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs), government organizations, and staffing agencies. More than 2,300 responded with 42 percent indicating their company was headquartered in the United States, 27 percent in Europe, 11 percent in Asia, seven percent in South America, as well as Africa, Australia/New Zealand, Japan, the Middle East, Mexico and Central America.  Respondents needed to have hired at least one Linux professional in the last year, or plan to hire Linux professionals in 2012 to participate in the survey, and were allowed to check as many responses to questions as appropriate. 

About Dice

Dice, a Dice Holdings, Inc. service, is the leading career site for technology and engineering professionals. With a 21-year track record of meeting the ever-changing needs of technology professionals, companies and recruiters, our specialty focus and exposure to highly skilled professional communities enable employers to reach hard-to-find, experienced and qualified technology and engineering candidates. www.Dice.com

About The Linux Foundation

The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2000, the organization sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and promotes, protects and advances the Linux operating system by marshaling the resources of its members and the open source development community. The Linux Foundation provides a neutral forum for collaboration and education by hosting Linux conferences, including LinuxCon, and generating original Linux research and content that advances the understanding of the Linux platform. Its web properties, including Linux.com, reach approximately two million people per month. The organization also provides extensive Linux training opportunities that feature the Linux kernel community's leading experts as instructors. Follow The Linux Foundation on Twitter.

Trademarks: The Linux Foundation, Linux Standard Base, MeeGo, Tizen and Yocto Project are trademarks of The Linux Foundation. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.

[1] United States State of the Union, January 25, 2012

Dice Media Contact
Rachel Ceccarelli
dicemedia@dice.com
212-448-8288

The Linux Foundation Media Contact
Jennifer Cloer
jennifer@linuxfoundation.org
503-867-2304

SOURCE The Linux Foundation; Dice.com