HTML5 was the second most sought after skillset in Q3 2012, according to Freelancer.co.uk, growing 44 per cent to 3038 from 2108 in the previous quarter – signalling a boom in the need for interactive mobile web experiences.
Android development was also among the top 20 fastest growing digital jobs – with 4004 roles available, compared to 3439 in Q2 2012 – an increase of 16 per cent.
Although iPhone only saw modest growth of 8 per cent – there were still 5,509 jobs available for freelancers. ‘Mobile phone’ jobs increased 12 per cent, from 5704 to 6410.
All programming roles, a combination of which are needed for mobile development, saw a boost. jQuery posts, the javascript language of choice of interactive web apps, increased by 32 per cent.
PHP jobs rose 19 per cent to a whopping 35,061 jobs as Zend co-founder Andi Gutmans promised increased mobile functionality for the lingua franca of the web. CSS and MySQL saw similarly strong growth – up 19 per cent to 7,099 jobs and 18 per cent to 11,007 jobs – respectively. 
Facebook jobs have made a recovery this quarter – with 11 per cent growth to 7,193 jobs – after a 14 per cent drop in Q2 as the share price plummeted. Mark Zuckerberg has indicated that there will be an increased mobile focus as it attempts to monetise the platform.
“This report truly reflects Mary Meeker’s thesis that through software and the internet we’re experiencing the reimagination of everything”, said Matt Barrie, chief exec of Freelancer.co.uk.
“Every industry we can think of is turning into a software business, and every job function is increasingly being performed using software tools in the cloud. This online job report tracks the current leaders and laggards of this transformation.”
Freelancer.co.uk analysed data from the 230,614 jobs posted in Q3. Overall, there was a 21 per cent increase in the number of digital positions, which grew from 189,917 in Q2. The average job on the site is completed for under $200 and is increasingly seen as a cost-effective solution for small businesses.
