Behind the Swiss Cloud Surge: A Dynamic Talent Market

By Alex Ok?a , Senior Principal Consultant at Trust In SODA

Can Switzerland catch the competition? Despite the recent gaps between its US and EMEA counterparts, the Swiss cloud market’s revenue is tipped to grow by 139.82% in the next five years, largely driven by a surge in digital transformation.?

With a reported 84% of Swiss businesses planning to advance their cloud adoption in the next year, it’s clear that enterprises are taking a more targeted approach to digitalisation.

?What’s next for Switzerland’s cloud engineers? Are hiring managers equipped to navigate a turbulent talent market? We’ve identified some key trends and influences shaping the cloud space today. Check them out below.

Cloud Dynamics

The big three (AWS, Azure, GCP) cloud providers vie for dominance, representing a combined 66% of the global market share. Microsoft Azure appears to be the outlier in the Swiss market, favoured by leaders across countless industries.

This is partly a result of the country’s long history with Microsoft, especially in high-impact industries like banking and healthcare, areas with a major preference for Microsoft’s on-premise technology.

Current reports claim that more than 70% of IT companies in Switzerland provide consulting services and implementation for Microsoft products.

AWS follows closely, with GCP lagging behind, although competition is intensifying in light of increasingly complex projects and the rising popularity of multi-cloud solutions. Flexibility, security, and cost-effectiveness are among the top concerns of today’s cloud migrators, pushing the market toward more nuanced strategies.

We’re seeing this translate to the talent market, reflected in the growing demand for adaptable, coachable cloud engineering talent. Both candidates and employers must be willing to invest in upskilling to meet the fluctuating demands of today’s industries.

For jobseekers, we would recommend:

• Targeted Skill development – given Switzerland’s predisposition for Azure, sharpening your skills in Azure Directory, Security, and DevOps may give you access to a broader range of opportunities. That said, we recommend targeting your development to whichever stack that you’re prospective employee uses.
• Get Certified –?Azure Fundamentals, AWS Certified Developer, and Azure Solutions Architect are among the top certifications that will help you stand out in today’s market.
• Network – The power of a good network can’t be underestimated. The cloud engineering space is highly engaged, active, and looking to make meaningful connections. We recommend attending cloud-focused networking events in your area. Keep your eye out for virtual events if you’d prefer; they can open up your options.
• Obtaining hands-on expertise –?in skill-short markets like Switzerland, many employers are shifting their attention to skill-based hiring. Hands-on experience demonstrates this nicely, so do consider side projects, internships, open-source contributions, and volunteering are all valuable avenues you can explore in this space.

If you’re on the other side of the interview panel, here are some tips to help you identify and secure top cloud engineers:

• Write an accurate job description ?– cloud engineering is a somewhat vague term nowadays, encompassing a range of skills and responsibilities. You’ll need to get specific to boost your accuracy, particularly now an influx of job applications is sweeping the market. Use a bias decoding tool to make sure your job descriptions are inclusive.
• Technical fluency –?hiring teams with a solid understanding of cloud engineering-specific terms (of which there are many) will have an easier time navigating the hiring process.
• Benchmark your salaries – Cloud Engineers are in high demand, and candidates know it. You’ll need to develop targeted remuneration packages to attract and retain them in today’s market.
• Technical Interviews –?thankfully, tech’s long-term love affair with overly technical coding interviews might be nearing its final hours. Technical interviews are extremely important, but they need to provide you with actionable data and insights. It’s worth developing technical interview stages that simulate real-world situations.?

In-Demand Skills

As more businesses embrace cloud computing, demand for specialised skill sets rises, particularly in areas related to infrastructure management, data engineering, and cloud security. Alongside the cloud fundamentals, we’ve seen a sharp increase in leaders targeting candidates with skills in:

• Kubernetes – the rapid deployment enabler that represents agility, reliability and consistency through CI/CD workflows. As today’s businesses scramble to scale at pace, demand for cloud professionals with Kubernetes expertise rises. ?Kubernetes, like the rest of this list, is an open-source platform designed to be cloud-agnostic, meaning organisations can retain adaptability and avoid being locked into a single vendor.
• Docker –?Highly scalable, portable, and functional, Docker is favoured for its ability to package apps (and their dependencies) into containers. The low resource consumption and high compatibility with Azure and AWS make it a top target for organisations looking to streamline their development and testing processes.
• Ansible –?automation is the name of the game in today’s business world, reflected in Ansible's growing popularity in recent years. The configuration management tool is simple, powerful, and consistent. From automating security upgrades to the provisioning of new servers, Ansible allows for simplified infrastructure management, a prime choice for businesses going digital for the first time.
• Terraform – Terraform is a cornerstone of Infrastructure as Code (IaC). This practice is becoming increasingly common for those hoping to build cross-cloud apps, aligning with the growing trend of multi-cloud adoption.

Industry Adoption

In Switzerland, healthcare is the leading industry for VC investment in 2024 by a wide margin. According to data from Dealroom , the sector attracted $1.2 billion in VC, eclipsing Fintech in the second place position with $235.9 million.

The cloud is already playing a lead role in the transformation of Swiss industries, encouraged by a strong government sentiment to digitalise (backed by a proposed $455 million funding package ).

Correspondingly, we’re seeing the number of cloud-related vacancies increase across the Swiss healthcare, fintech, energy, and robotics sectors. It’s worth noting that room for contract work is expanding in these areas as cost-intensive, time-consuming digitalisation projects begin to take off. ?

Tech-born businesses are no longer the zenith of cloud-focused job opportunities. Exciting career paths are opening up across impactful sectors across Switzerland, so it’s worth expanding your search to industries that represent emergent cloud opportunities, like telemedicine in healthcare.

Connect with Trust in SODA

If you’d like to discuss any of these points in more detail, the consultants at Trust in SODA would love to connect. Drop me a message at [email protected] , or reach out on LinkedIn to find out more. Whether you’re hoping to broaden your career horizons or access a hard-to-reach talent pool, our SECO-licensed consultants have the localised market expertise and community networks to support you.

Visit our website to find out more about our award-winning recruitment services: www.trustinsoda.com .

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