After slightly descending project postings on projektwerk.de in May, the overall positive trend continues. In particular, the number of SAP projects hit a record high in June: figures mount up to 296 projects in 2010 compared to 110 projects in June 2009.

This growth is due to an unexpectedly strong business year for SAP – as the German software developer was able to increase it’s turnover considerably in the first quarter of 2010. This significant upward development can be attributed to the after-effects of the economic crisis, which drives many companies to restructure operations. This, in turn, leads to heavy investments in the IT sector.

However, not only SAP projects on projektwerk.de show an upward trend.

According to BITKOM, the German Association for Information Technology, the expectations concerning the tendency of the ICT sector’s financial situation rose by 71 percent in the second quarter of 2010.

“The BITKOM-industry is expecting further growth”, says BITKOM chairman Scheer. This is partly due to the necessity of upgrading such infrastructures as electricity supply, government agency networks, and the educational system. Nevertheless, such improvements are only manageable with sufficient specialists available to get the work done. As part of this development, the demand for IT-professionals and freelancers will increase significantly. According to BITKOM there are about 20,000 vacant positions in the ICT sector – every third company listed in the BITKOM Index is complaining about a lack of experts, negatively affecting their performance and business development.

Managing Director of projektwerk GmbH, Dr. Christiane Strasse, sees significant advantages for IT freelancers: “Based on our figures, we can say with certainty that the recovery of the IT market will further continue as more investments will be made. Another important factor is the lack of experts. However, this deficiency can be optimally offset by utilizing freelancers.”

Dr. Strasse’s assessment is consitent with that of other experts such as U.S. market leader Elance. Elance’s quarterly online talent report shows the high demand for IT skills. The company’s data demonstrates that businesses are increasingly turning to online talent, which is an important and thriving employment segment, to drive their economic recovery.

Source: http://www.bitkom.org/64402_64224.aspx

TED (technology, entertainment, design) is a non-profit foundation that is best known for its annual conferences, in which lectures or ted-talks are devoted to one mission: “spreading ideas”. founded as a one-off event in 1984, ted-talks have grown in popularity and now cover a wide range of topics (science and culture). Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Bill Gates or Richard Dawkins are just some of the prominent figures who have given ted-talks.

curious: when “ted-talking”, the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers are challenged to limit their speeches to 18 minutes. the best talks and performances from TED and partners are available on ted.com official website or the ted youtube channel.

click the link for upcoming and ongoing tedx events.

a recent survey, conducted by elon university, found that cloud-computing will increasingly gain importance in the future. the majority of social analysts, internet and tech experts questioned in the survey, predict this form of internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software and information, are provided to computers and other devices on-demand, to prevail. mashable offers a great summary of this study.

image by mashable

project-related work requires very different talents and capabilities. the lack of such capacity creates inefficiencies. by utilizing a community of people with similar issues and needs, these inefficiencies can be minimized through collaboration. co-working spaces enable efficient teamwork by bringing people together in a shared working environment. this interesting post on mashable gives a great overview of why co-working makes so much sense for businesses…

image by mashable

why co-working makes sense for small businesses

as the nytimes reports, the workforce is becoming increasingly comfortable with the changing nature of work as it is…”becoming more temporary and project-based, with workers increasingly functioning as free agents and no longer being governed by traditional long-term employer-employee relationships…”. it’s a development that first began in the 90’s but recently gained some momentum.

wsj: with the increase of victims of the economic collapse, freelancing and consulting has taken on an entrepreneurial air. nearly 25 percent of US workers are either part time or full time freelancers, consultants, free agents or contractors.

to be successful in this self starting and competitive career there are rules that help create a successful freelancing occupation:

• freelancers can no longer think short term. to be prosperous, they have to be aggressive about staying up to date in their field.

• joining networks can also be an advantage in acquiring referrals and creating more opportunities.

• an air of professionalism is required to be accomplished in the freelancing world. one way of doing this is by having a private space (home office).

• freelancing can no longer be seen as a job but as a business. the mind-set of an entrepreneur is neccessary.

anybody can become a consultant or freelancer. but not everybody does it well. here’s what you need to know to thrive:

read full post on wsj: How to Succeed in the Age of Going Solo

the wsj reports that employers remain reluctant to hiring. many companies state meager consumer spending as the main cause for their despondence. according to a blue chip ceo, “hiring is a chicken and egg dilemma” indicating that new jobs have to be created to spur consumption and encourage companies to employ new staff. however, the announced us government’s assistance has provided a little spurt of hope. temporary staffing firms are continuously experiencing good growth in the us, suggesting that job hunters are increasingly considering alternatives.

Some of the big IT trends turn out to also be the biggest risks concerning IT security in 2010:

1. credit card data
The loss of customer data will always imply a loss of confidence in the company.
Until now data is mainly protected by firewalls, but while hacker are becoming smarter, security features for data also need to improve.

2. social media
The simpler and faster information spreads online, the more harm it can do. In addition information can hardly be taken back once it’s out in the web.

3. cloud computing
Outsourcing data, next to all its merits, also involves a loss of confidentiality, integrity and availability of possibly sensitive data.

4. smartphones and PDA’s
More and more people using e.g. smartphones for business as well as private concerns, but at the same time handheld devices are not as well equipped with security features as the regular desktop computer.

Are there any points you would like to add to this list?
Go for it and share your opinion!

brian solis’s conversation prism portrays how comprehensive the social web has become and how wide the conversations range that define it:

full size image

brian solis is a digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist. he’s recognized widely as one of the most prominent thought leaders in social media.

In December 2009 the Max-Planck-Association and the European Academy for Women in Politics and Economics (Europäische Akademie für Frauen in Politik und Wirtschaft) invited people from politics, commerce and science to a conference on the topic “Between Science and Fiction-Society and Gender 2030”.
The major questions related to the work environment were:
Who will be working in what field in 2030? How will content, requirements and qualifications change? And: Will there be sufficient jobs for everyone or even too many?

In the end the participants agreed on 4 possible scenarios what our working environment will look like.

Work will be more:

- flexible:
Flexible working hours, more people working in freelance positions, switching between full-time and part-time jobs, more business trips, staying mobile regarding times as well as the places you are working at.

- exhausting:
Technological change itself is leading to a fast pace and challenging work environment. Furthermore the need for employers being all time approachable will grow stronger.

- qualified:
Lifelong learning will be a definite requirement. The labour market will further divide in unqualified personnel having few chances and skilled personnel in demand.

- female:
Studies show that women in leading position or management boards can only be helpful for the company’s success. More and more companies as well as governments will follow this example.

What is your opinion on this?
Do you already see those changes happen?

Based on: http://www.sueddeutsche.de/jobkarriere/479/501732/text/