Executive Summary
It is well accepted that the IT job market is a bright spot in otherwise uneven economies. In the United States,
the unemployment rate for tech professionals is 3.8 percent, a vast improvement from 5.3 percent just 12
months ago and far better than the 8.3 percent national unemployment rate.1
With strong evidence of job
creation tied to increased adoption and use of Linux, Dice and The Linux Foundation teamed up to better
understand the global 2012 hiring outlook for Linux professionals.
So just how big is the demand for Linux talent? And what does it tell us about the career outlook for Linux
developers, system administrators, and other open source professionals? The findings of the joint survey tell
a conclusive story: Companies everywhere need trained Linux professionals, and they need them now.
The comprehensive survey includes responses from more than 2,000 hiring managers at corporations, Small
and Medium Businesses (SMBs), government organizations, and staffing agencies from across the globe.
The combination of Dice’s network of tech-focused hiring managers and The Linux Foundation’s access to
Linux-specific employers has surfaced an insightful report on Linux job trends.