Study by Centers of Excellence finds mobile media jobs on the rise in 2012

March 16, 2012 - PRLog -- A new report released by the Centers of Excellence paints a picture of how employment in mobile media is growing in California and which jobs will be in the most demand during the coming year.

Based on a survey of more than 400 employers, the report projects that California could gain as many as 12,620 mobile media jobs in 2012. Software engineers are expected to add the most jobs (4,501), followed by computer support specialists (2,979), programmers and/or applications developers (2,930), mobile media project managers (933), mobile media web developers (770), and mobile media graphic designers and/or multi-media artists (507).

“Mobile media is a rapidly growing field that has implications for the workforce in every
industry to some degree,” said Dr. Audrey Reille, co-author of the report and director of the Center of Excellence serving the Los Angeles/Orange County region.

The most common services provided by firms who participated in the study are mobile media web development and mobile applications development (more than 50 percent of firms provide these services). Twenty-three percent of the firms surveyed were connected to advertising or marketing. Another 23% were connected to professional and technical services, and 10% were involved in software. The majority of these firms are small, with 66% employing fewer than 25 employees.

Based on an analysis of real-time labor market information from on-line job postings within the state, the Bay Area, followed by the Los Angeles/Orange County region, had the most job openings within the last six months. Software engineers had the most job openings, while web developers were the second most in demand occupation within the last six months.

The firms surveyed indicated that they were experiencing the most difficulty in hiring
programmers and /or applications developers followed by software engineers and computer support specialists.

The survey of employers also revealed hiring preferences. The majority of employers are seeking employees who have bachelor’s degrees, but there are positions available for professionals holding an associate degree or certificate from an accredited community college. More than a third of employers hiring computer support specialists prefer to hire individuals with an associate degree or certificate. Additionally, 27% of employers hiring graphic designers and/or multi-media artists reported that they prefer to hire individuals with an associate degree or certificate.

Mobile media also offers opportunities for entrepreneurs to create mobile apps and websites, that can generate unlimited revenue through downloads, or be sold to other businesses. Many start-ups have difficulty hiring developers who know several programming languages and platforms, and have good technical and communication skills. Some hiring decisions are based on a number of factors, including the quality of a designer’s portfolio, and technical and interpersonal skills, and not necessarily whether an applicant has a college degree or certificate.

The study revealed there is a shortage of community college programs specializing in mobile media. The report recommends colleges continue to develop programs and add courses to existing programs in information and communications technologies and graphic design to meet the growing demand for workers with mobile media skills.

For the study, the state was divided into five regions: the Bay Area, Los Angeles/Orange County, Southern California (excluding LA/OC), Greater Sacramento, and the Central Valley. Researchers focused on the two industries most heavily impacted by mobile media, Technology and Advertising & Media.

For this project, mobile media was defined as the technologies used to develop, integrate, and support mobile websites and applications. Three regional Centers of Excellence collaborated on the report — Los Angeles/Orange County, Inland Empire & San Diego/Imperial, and San Francisco Bay. John Carrese, director of the San Francisco Bay center, and Evgeniya Lindstrom, director of the Inland Empire & San Diego/Imperial center, are co-authors of the report.

The study can be accessed at www.coeccc.net/ict .

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The Centers of Excellence provide detailed and accurate regional economic and workforce information for community colleges. The centers collaborate with business and industry partners and workforce boards to conduct regional workforce research
and prepare customized reports to assist community college decision making and resource development.

More information about the Centers of Excellence can be found at www.coeccc.net .

More information about the California Community College’s Economic and Workforce
Development initiatives can be found at www.cccewd.net .