RALEIGH – If you are a software developer and you know Java, and you are job hunting, you have a pretty good chance of finding a new job in North Carolina.

So says the latest IT Job Trends report from the North Carolina Technology Association, which finds nearly 18,000 open IT jobs overall.

According to its March 2018 report, demand for software developers surged nearly 5 percent in February year-over-year.

Meanwhile, the number of posted Java openings climbed more than 4 percent.

The 10  occupations most in demand follow with 2018 openings and how that compares year-over-year:

Occupations: Feb ‘18, Feb ‘17

  1. Software Developers: 3,123, +4.8%
  2. Computer Systems Analysts: 2,206, -10.5%
  3. Computer User Support Specialists: 2,124, -13.7%
  4. Network + Computer Systems Administrators: 1,824, -24.1%
  5. Information Technology Project Managers: 1,767, +2.5%
  6. Computer Systems Engineers/Architects: 1,248, +5.9%
  7. Web Developers: 1,193, -12.3%
  8. Information Security Analysts: 1,181, +25.1%
  9. Computer + Information Systems Managers: 1,110, +22.1%
  10. Software Quality Assurance Engineers + Testers: 658 ,-11.9%

TOTALS (Including All Others): 17,946, -5.5%

SKILL SETS

Here are the most needed specific skill sets:

Skill, Feb ‘18 vs Feb ‘17

  1. Java: 3,402 +4.2%
  2. Structured Query Language: 2,827 -4.6%
  3. Linux: 2,627 +0.7%
  4. JavaScript: 2,116 -6.2%
  5. Python: 1,950 +19.1%
  6. Systems Development Life Cycle: 1,945 -3.2%
  7. Quality Assurance: 1,879 -8.7%
  8. Microsoft Offic:e 1,866 N/A
  9. Technical Support: 1,674 -18.4%
  10. UNIX: 1,657 -5.9%

Read more details online at NC TECH.