Demand for Docker skills increases almost tenfold 

Analysis of the IT skills/job titles most demanded in the UK technology industry carried out by Rackspace has identified that along with DevOps being a primary requirement, job posts looking for professionals with Docker expertise have increased almost tenfold (991%) in the last 12 months.

Further analysis shows that Docker-centric job roles have jumped 317 places to number two in a list of the 500 most sought after IT skills/job titles, making it one of the fastest growing skills needed by businesses over the last year, [Source IT Jobs Watch[i]].

To match demand, the typical salary offered has also increased by 28% - almost 21% more than the national average salary growth in the UK during the same period[ii]. The top skills required by recruiters looking for candidates for Docker roles are competencies in: Linux (66%), DevOps (60%), Python (60%), Puppet (53%) and Agile software development (52%).

DevOps is still on the rise
Demand for DevOps – which rose by 351% between 2013 and 2014 – continued over the last 12 months too with the number of permanent roles posted increasing by 57%. In spite of the increase however, salaries only rose by 2% in the last year. The top skills needed for DevOps engineers are: Linux (86%), Puppet (69%), Opscode Chef (57%), Python (53%) and AWS (40%).

Darren Norfolk, Managing Director, Rackspace UK commented: “We know that technology skills and job roles are constantly evolving. What this means for both the workforce and employers alike is a deeper responsibility to stay aware of what are considered to be best working practices and cutting edge technology platforms at all times. Last year it was all about DevOps coming to the fore, but the demand for Docker has surged over the last 12 months. What both of these roles have in common however are the core skills you need to have under your belt to do both jobs – Linux, Python, Puppet etc.”


“These roles are fundamental to the cloud industry’s future but the reality is that businesses are struggling to fill them, as there just aren’t enough candidates with the right skill sets out there. A key part of Rackspace’s strategy, being a managed cloud provider, is offering support for a number of platforms such as Microsoft Azure, so we regularly have to bring new skills on board to address the requirements of the constantly changing industry so we can provide our customers with the best service and technology possible. We are able to meet this demand by finding ways to arm our existing talent with the latest skills and expertise” Norfolk continues.

Building skills to support the future of the cloud industry

More traditional technical roles also on the up include Solutions Architects and Senior Infrastructure Engineers, which increased by 7% and 13% respectively. Solutions Architect roles jumped 12 places in the list of the top 500 IT skills/job titles and Senior Infrastructure Engineers moved up 31 places. For both these positions, however, salaries have remained the same as 2014.

Looking more broadly, the number of System Administrator roles is actually decreasing with 10% fewer jobs available in 2015 compared to the same period in 2014, when it was also down by 32% from 2013. However, salaries are increasing very slightly by 1%. This could be a result of an increase in new DevOps roles requiring the same skills which could be seen as more enticing.

Norfolk concluded: “We’re in a position where every technology company – big or small is fighting for the same, small pool of talent. To succeed, technology companies which accept the need for fine-grained skills must nurture existing staff and adopt an open minded recruitment strategy that considers applicants who can refine their technical skills through on the job training and experience. If these candidates have a good general understanding of the technology and show a high level of competency in other areas such as customer service, they can develop into the complete package quickly and become the sought after experts that the tech industry needs.”