Top most wanted employees in 2010

Jobs for the future

After a poor first quarter in 2010, the local job market is showing the first signs of recovery, as unemployment recorded the lowest growth rate in March (0.06%) since the onset of the financial crisis in Romania, and the IT and oustourcing companies in the country have over 1,000 vacancies to fill in Bucharest only.

In this context, highly-specialized jobs in IT&C, BPO, pharma and banking, sectors that were less affected by the financial crisis top the list of most sought-after workers in 2010.

Notwithstanding the 12% decline in 2009 to €8.2 billion, the local IT&C industry with around 130,000 employees, will continue to staff people this year, with over 3,700 job postings at the beginning of April, 17% more than a month earlier. The local pharmaceutical market that increased 12% in January 2010 year-on-year to 748.54 million lei (€180.76 million) was advertising 1528 job openings in April, according to balaur.ro.

Although last year has seen the banking sector shedding jobs, the first month of the second quarter brought 17% increase in job openings in the sector.

#1 Solutions Architect

The most sought-after specialists in 2009 and in the first months of 2010 are Java developers and C/C++ software engineer as well as PHP developers, system administrators (Linux) and application administrators.

IT staffing companies also have to locate the right people for very specialized positions with great expertise such as Solution Architect, Information Security Specialist and Business Intelligence Developer according to Adriana Sutac, managing director of the IT recruitment company Brainspotting.

"Even though the demand for programmers and application/system administrators is much higher than for senior specialists with rare skills, the future looks much brighter for the latter. They will always find a job in the next few years, and employers will value their knowledge and skills, as they are now", said Sutac.

"The solution architect is responsible for the design of the data solution to meet user requirements, that includes both the hardware and software components. In order to assume such a role, a solutions architect must have an extensive experience in similar projects, be familiar with system compliance and the problems that may appear in exploring the options", said Sutac.

An IT specialist must have six-year experience in similar positions, excellent understanding of MS Visio or Rational Rose and know J2EE, Java, database (Oracle/DB2/SQL Server).

#2 Information Security Specialist

With minimum 4-5 year relevant experience, information security specialist will be one of the most sought-after jobs in the coming years. Remuneration remained at last year levels, between €1,000 and €2,000, depending on experience and certifications.

An information security specialist is responsible for the design, implementation, and operation of security monitoring systems, detection of vulnerabilities and identification of risks, and maintenance of operating integrity.

The requirements for the position include: Bachelors degree in technical field, CISM and CISSP certification, excellent understanding of information security standards, fluency in English and the ability to assess the business risks of implementing certain security policies.

#3 Business Intelligence Developer

With a minimum 4-year practical experience, the candidate for Business Intelligence Developer position will most likely find the job in a multinational companies operating with large data volumes grouped in data warehouses. The requirements for Business Intelligence Position position include:

• Design, develop and maintain ETL jobs and related data warehouse models/objects/systems.
• Participate in architectural and model decisions during the design and build phases of new projects.
• Work closely with application developers and administrators to streamline data flows between internal/external systems and the data warehouse.
• Good understanding of user requirements and functional specifications
• Participate in MS Analysis Services cubes / Business Objects (BO) universes and report design & development.
• Ensure that formal documentation is produced for all development projects.
• Compensation packages for the position range between €1,200 and €2,000 depending on the employer.

#4 Senior Accountant

Companies' effort to nurse their public finances back to pre-crisis health would be futile without a competent accounting department.

"The accounting department is crucial for the company, no matter the nature of the business' activity, development or economic circumstances", said Loredana Iadunca, chief executive of the staffing company LCL Financial Recruitment.

Accountant - tax analyst €800-€1,500

Treasury Accountant: €600 - €1,000

Reporting Accountant: €800-€1300

#5 Internal Audit/Risk Analyst

Some of the most wanted jobs in financial crisis as well as in the first three months of this year, are the risk, internal audit and financial control positions, with minimum three year experience in the field.

"Risk, internal audit and financial control jobs are very much wanted because the current economic crisis increases risk of frauds and imposes a thorough internal financial control. The crisis has spurred demand for people to carry a stricter control and risk assessment of a company's internal resources as massive decline in revenues and market share and hence market possibilities have led to a sharp increase in economic perils", said Florin Ochiana, HR & Operations Manager at Lugera & Makler.

Requirements for internal audit positions include a Bachelors degree in economics, minimum three-year experience in a similar position, solid knowledge on the legislation in force, as well as good analytical skills.

#6 Acquisition Specialist in FMCG

"One of the most sought-after jobs on headhunters' agenda at this point is Acquisition Specialist in FMCG. Skilled specialists for this position are very hard to locate, and companies feel the talent shortage in the market even in a distressed economy", said Dorin Bodea, manager of executive search company Mentor's.

An Acquisition Specialist in FMCG is responsible for any price-related tasks, discounts, taxes and costs of any other merchandising-related activities and has over four-year experience in FMCG.

The pay package for an acquisition specialist with few-year experience in the field start from €1,200 and can reach €1,500 a month, depending on the company.

#7 Doctors

After a mass exodus of construction workers to Italy and Spain in 2005-2007, it's medical school graduates' turn now to be on the move to developed countries for better-paid positions. Twice a year, medical staff recruiters are organizing special fairs for job openings in the medical field in UK, Germany or France, where the pay packages are even 12-times higher than in Romania.

Doctors who want a job abroad can make around €2,000 and €12,000 a month, depending on the country, specialization and work history, according to the International Medical Careers Fair. Senior doctors, the most sought after, can make up to €10,000-€12,000 a month in UK or Scandinavian countries.

Residents can make up to €2,500 or €7,000 a month in Germany, according to Tjobs postings.