One Candidate Out Of 100 Job Postings Fit For Hiring in Cloud Computing: IDC

Over one million cloud computing jobs could be created in India by 2022, according to a report by an ed-tech firm Great learning. According to the report, the industry suffers from an acute shortage of talent with more than 1.7 million cloud jobs worldwide remaining vacant due to the shortage of talent.

According to IDC, there is only one qualified candidate for 100 job postings in cloud computing across the globe. The major reasons for this gap are lack of training, hands-on experience in a cloud-based environment and industry-recognized certification. This skill gap comes at a time when almost two-thirds of global enterprises are using cloud computing, and the investment being made in cloud infrastructure is 4.5 times the rate of traditional IT spending.

According to the report, the salary of an entry-level cloud professional in India is around Rs 5 to 7 lacs, which is significantly greater than that of a traditional IT engineer who earns about Rs 3 to 5 lacs. The salary for an associate working in the cloud with less than 5 years of experience can range from Rs 12 to 19 lacs, while a mid-level manager can easily command upwards of Rs 20 lacs per annum. 

Cloud Architects, a new role in the cloud space of an expert who understands both IT infrastructure and applications, and can design and manage application frameworks and operations, can earn upwards of Rs 30+ Lakhs. In fact, MNCs like Oracle have been known to pay senior cloud professionals with 15 – 25 years of experience as much as Rs 1 crore per annum.

Indian IT embracing cloud

The Indian cloud computing market, currently at $2.2 billion, is growing rapidly and is expected to grow to $4 billion by 2020 with an annual growth rate of more than 30 per cent. As per IDC, an estimated 1 million new jobs will be created in India by the year 2022 as more companies adopt cloud technology. Skills in DevOps, SaaS, IaaS, Automation, Agile and SDN are going to be critical for IT professionals to land these jobs. In line with these skills, job profiles like Cloud Architect, Cloud Software Engineer, Cloud Enterprise Architect and Cloud Infrastructure Engineer are already in great demand.

Traditional IT roles are going to cloud

Traditional IT companies like Cognizant, TCS, Infosys and Tech Mahindra are increasingly building solutions on cloud owing to increased flexibility, scalability and speed, and there is a huge demand for professionals who can integrate cloud solutions with existing, on-site systems. When a company migrates to the cloud, software engineers need to upskill to learn cloud APIs and manage services like container platforms to build cloud-native applications.

Rajguru Tandon

BW Reporters The author is a correspondent with BW Businessworld with keen interest in HR and employee welfare.