Over the past 10 years we have seen what we call ‘swings and roundabouts’ on skill trends for development. Almost every two years the demand for developers in particular has been alternating between Java and .Net.

Back in 2006, there was a huge demand for Java developers. This made hiring candidates much easier because all one had to do is search for profiles with Java Skills only.  No other requirement was needed. Nowadays, when discussing client requirements for Java developers, the majority require the candidates to have exposure to particular frameworks (e.g. Spring or Java EE frameworks) and/or respective components, or even specific experience in projects (e.g. Big Data or Blockchain).

Moreover, besides technical skills, most developers are now required to have overlapping skills in business analysis and functional consultancy. With the vast array of technologies, language and platform choices available today, client businesses and teams have and are continuing to grow rapidly. Up until a few years ago one had to be ‘jack of all trades’ to get anywhere in the IT world but due to this growth, specialisation is now the trend in the IT Maltese job market and is a must.

Frontend technologies have also evolved. Clients would look for HTML5 and CSS skills but many are now looking also for Vaadin and AngularJS. AngularJS is becoming more and more visible in job descriptions however, not many Frontend developers have this technology as part of their skill set. One skill which is being required more and more in today’s Maltese market, especially within financial services, Fintech and gaming companies is PHP – coupled with the Frontend technologies mentioned above.

The tech market in Malta is booming and now is the most exciting time to be a techie

In today’s market where is the demand? Definitely, Full Stack developers. Front end technologies have evolved so much especially with the advent of mobile applications. With RESTful APIs, developers are very often required to have knowledge of both front end and back end technologies.

Over the years, since 2008 but particularly since 2010, Malta’s technical recruitment has seen a huge positive impact from the iGaming operators. iGaming companies opening in Malta led to more job opportunities for locals. The demand for techies have been growing ever since and will continue to grow.  What are the main skills these operators are using? Microsoft .Net tools and frameworks. Unity and CryEngine are also gaining popularity as it provides rapid application development on C# and .net platforms

As mentioned before, the majority are looking for Full Stack developers (.Net, MVC, REST API, Node.js) and for Frontend developers (with AngluarJS and Vaadin). Seniority levels range from intermediate to senior, up to technical architects and even to managerial level.

Why should one pursue a career in IT? The IT world will always present you with a vast number of jobs at the end of your education.

No matter what industry you choose to go into there are always plenty of IT positions available. The advantage of this is that even though this has been the trend over the past 10 years, it will only increase by time, as more of the world becomes digitally driven and IT professionals will be needed to fill these job positions.

The tech market in Malta is booming and now is the most exciting time to be a techie. This huge demand for these evolving skill sets creates an environment where it can be sometimes difficult for companies to find the ideal candidates with the required needs to design, develop, implement and finish a software development project. That means, it is the best time for developers to explore these new opportunities.

Given today’s market and seeing how things are transforming and growing across industries, this area will only get bigger.

Clare Barbara is a client partner at Castille – Financial & Tech Careers.

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