Last month, more than 10,000 tech jobs were advertised online in the U.S. for positions that sought expertise in cloud computing, according to the latest statistics released by WANTED Analytics.

As more organizations move data to virtual servers, cloud computing has been a growing skill needed by employers hiring talent to develop, manage and secure information online. In fact, the number of job posts for cloud computing increased rapidly in 2012, reaching new highs each month and is now up 80 percent since August 2011.

Based on WANTED Analytics, the most commonly advertised job titles for IT talent with cloud computing skills are:

1.      Software Engineer

2.      Senior Software Engineer

3.      Java Developer

4.      Systems Engineer

5.      Senior Systems Engineer

6.      Network Engineer

7.      Senior Java Developer

8.      Systems Administrator

9.      Enterprise Architect

10. Websphere Cloud Computing Engineer

In addition to cloud computing skills, these job ads require a variety of programming and technical skills. Among the most commonly required are Linux, project management, Ruby, Android (News - Alert) iOS, and Ruby on Rails.

IT professionals with training or experience in cloud computing are in demand across the U.S., however, the New York area has seen the greatest growth in demand over the past year, where the number of job ads that were available in August was up 230 percent compared to the same month last year. In addition to the Big Apple (News - Alert), the metro areas with the highest volume of listings in August were: San Jose, Seattle, San Francisco and Washington (D.C.). The Silicon Valley leads the U.S. in the volume of job ads with a total of 2,000 available during August.

As more employers shift data and software to cloud-based applications, hiring demand is likely to continue, WANTED Analytic said. The limited talent supply of potential candidates with cloud computing experience will create challenges for employers.

Employers across the U.S. spend an average of 6.5 weeks advertising jobs and sourcing candidates for IT positions that require cloud computing, according to WANTED Analytics. However, each location and region of the US will experience a varying degree of difficulty when recruiting. Companies in San Francisco, California and Baltimore, Maryland are currently experiencing some of the most challenging overall recruiting conditions. Competition has emerged as more employers are looking to fill jobs in these areas than the local talent supply can support. Job ads in this area remain online for an average of 7.5 weeks.

According to a recent study by IDC (News - Alert), spending on public and private IT cloud services will generate nearly 14 million jobs worldwide from 2011 to 2015.

Want to learn more about cloud communications? Then be sure to attend Cloud Communications Expo, collocated with ITEXPO West 2012 taking place Oct 2-5, in Austin, TX.  Stay in touch with everything happening at Cloud Communications Expo. Follow us on Twitter.