As 2011 comes to a close, here are my observations about some of the #trends in the Boston software community as reflected by the recruiting work Lynx did this year.

1. #Hiring demand for talented software professionals started the year strong and got stronger. Our business was up over 40% from 2010, and we have more search assignments currently underway than any time in the last decade. All signs point to this continuing in 2012.
2. The bar for hiring was high. No matter what level of experience, top performers with good track records could often have their pick of multiple offers. On the other hand, average and below-average engineers are finding it increasingly difficult to remain employed in #hightech. Like society at large, there is much less of a software #middleclass than before.
3. After two years of fairly flat salaries, salary offer levels increased to attract top performers. Companies that made lateral offers often lost candidates to more aggressive competitors for #talent.
4. Some of the hottest technology areas included #bigdata, #analytics, #userinterface, and high performance scalable #consumer #webapps.
5. More and more software jobs are in the city: #boston, #cambridge, #kendallsquare, #innovationdistrict, #somerville, #backbay. Still a significant amount of opportunities on #Route128, but fewer and fewer good opportunities out on the 495 belt. A very vibrant urban startup community continues to get stronger.

 Many thanks to our clients, candidates, and employees for making 2011 a terrific year here at Lynx. We added several excellent recruiters to our already outstanding team this year, and we’re looking forward to an exciting 2012. Happy Holidays to all of you.