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Tech gigs: iOS apps, HTML5 in; SEO, social media, .Net out

If you're a .Net developer look out below on the freelance project front. Mobile developers have more work than they can handle.
Written by Larry Dignan, Contributor

Demand for freelance technology related jobs indicate an inflection point across multiple fronts as Google's algorithm tweaks have hurt demand for search engine wonks and social media experts may be seeing a bubble burst.

That's the takeaway from a report from Freelancer.com, which analyzes demand for tech jobs.

Among the notable trends from Freelancer's statement:

  • Demand for iOS developers accelerates. There are 5,112 new jobs to develop iOS apps. Android app jobs check in at 3,444 jobs in the second quarter. The first quarter put Android and iOS demand at parity, according to Freelancer. My take: It's too early to call a turn in Android development, but it's hard to overlook that iOS gets all the new apps first.
  • Alleged SEO experts and content farmers exposed. Google's ongoing algorithm changes have nailed SEO gigs, which checked in at 9,397 jobs in the second quarter, down 7.3 percent from the first quarter. Link building and jobs revolving around low quality content also fell. Disclosure: I'm predisposed to believe that SEO gurus just sort of make things up. We're all trying to guess about Google's algorithm.
  • Demand is falling for those folks that practice social media voodoo (my term not Freelancer's) and consulting. Facebook related jobs fell 14 percent to 6,510. Freelancer attributes the drop to Facebook's sluggish IPO and questions about social media advertising and the returns associated with it.
  • Demand for MS Word processing gigs jumped to 1,594 jobs. Data processing demand also spiked. Freelancer's explanation for this one was that back-office positions are being outsourced in a down economy. Real assistants are being tossed for virtual ones. That explanation may hold up, but it's hard to believe that MS Word processing demand will continue to grow.
  • User interface folks are in demand with 1,756 jobs in the second quarter, up 42 percent from a year ago. HTML5 demand rose and .Net jobs fell 39 percent in the second quarter compared to the first. My take: Demand for UI help can only be viewed as a good thing. 
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