Oracle skills shortage spells jackpot for contractors

If you have Oracle skills, 2008 could be something of a jackpot year, with contractors in short supply as demand ramps up over the next 12 months, IT recruitment company Technojobs has said.

The enterprise software giant has built up a head of steam over many years via its acquisition strategy. Most famously, it acquired software giant PeopleSoft for $10.3bn (£5.19bn) back in 2004, but it also has plenty of smaller buys under its belt — a strategy that has led to its ranking as the second largest software company in the world after Microsoft.

Oracle's success in growing its software business last year is now translating into a rise in advertised jobs requiring Oracle skills and they are already the second most in-demand skill for contract jobs in 2008, according to the recruitment company.

The average annual salary for the last three months for a permanent Oracle job was £46,244, according to ITJobsWatch. The average daily rate for Oracle contractors for the past three months was £418.

Continued investment in corporate and public-sector strategy ERP projects — as well as the general IT skills shortage — means demand for Oracle skills is likely to rise this year, said Technojobs.

Job seekers who gain experience in different areas and implementations of Oracle — for instance via contracting — will be in the strongest position, said Technojobs. Those who also have consulting and project-management skills will have an advantage too.