Insights for AWS partners
Attraction and retention
Employers from AWS partners need to optimize their hiring strategies if they are to effectively expand their teams and meet growing demand from customers for their services.
For many partner organizations, this involves not only attracting new talent but trying to get to the bottom of how to retain existing employees. However, in a competitive market with high turnover, this can be challenging. Additionally, partner organizations often face higher expectations regarding certification, industry experience, and technical skills, making talent attraction and retention even more difficult.
The positive news is that there is significant enthusiasm among AWS professionals for working with partners. In this section, we’ll explore the factors that make partner environments appealing to AWS talent, helping them to better align their hiring strategies with the desires, needs, and expectations of candidates in the community.
Motivation to work for an AWS partner
Almost two-thirds (64%, up from 60% in our last survey) of end user employees who responded to the survey would consider working for an AWS partner. Factors cited as most likely to attract end user employees to a role with a partner include:
Professional development
Higher earning potential
Opportunity to expand on skills, knowledge, and experience with AWS products
| Working on a diverse range of projects | 57% |
| To tackle different challenges | 42% |
| To make better use of my skills | 42% |
| Working with a variety of organizations | 40% |
| Flexibility in lifestyle | 26% |
| Other | 2% |
Those respondents who would move to a partner for the higher earning potential would want, on average, a 25% increase in their earnings to make the switch.
We also asked the 8% (down from 13%) of respondents who would not work for a partner why they wouldn’t make the move, with reasons including:
Conclusion
With demand for AWS partner services continuing to grow again this year, understanding how to succeed in the hiring market is essential for partner organizations looking to keep pace.
The good news is that while there’s an expectation of a healthy salary increase, 64% of end user employees can see themselves making the switch. Interestingly, the higher earning potential has been knocked off top spot this year and while it still remains important, it’s interesting to see professional development take pole position, with the opportunity to expand on skills, knowledge and experience with AWS products not far behind. Whether this reflects negatively on the end user environment, or simply reflects how rapidly AWS is growing and how much professionals want to be a part of that, remains to be seen.
While there are factors that dissuade some professionals (such as a preference for single project work) that may be out of your control, there are many who this appeals to and the results here should provide inspiration on where you can place an emphasis to create an appealing employer brand.
How satisfied are partner employees?
We also found that 44% (down from 58% last time out) are satisfied with their salary, while the proportion of professionals unhappy with their pay has increased from 10% to 33%.
Demand for partner services
How has demand for AWS changed in the last 12 months?
Top AWS products, apps, and connectors that have been most in-demand with partners’ clients in the last year
| Compute | 42% |
| Database | 38% |
| Analytics | 34% |
| Containers | 32% |
| Migration & Modernization (formerly Migration & Transfer) | 32% |
| Machine Learning | 30% |
| Serverless | 30% |
| Security, Identity, & Compliance | 28% |
| Storage | 26% |
| Cloud Financial Management | 24% |
How has demand for AWS migrations changed in the last year?
Implementation of third-party integrations
Partner employees believe their clients are more likely to implement both an additional AWS product and a third-party integration (49%) than they are to implement an additional AWS product (37%) alone or a third-party integration (8%).
What are the potential project pitfalls when working with end user clients?
Scope creep (changes in a project's scope)
Reluctance/resistance from some employees to adopt the new technology
No clear objective from the customer on what they want from their AWS product
| Lack of communication from/between stakeholders | 30% |
| Lack of training given to frontline staff using the product | 30% |
| Issues managing expectations on what is possible with AWS | 26% |
| Difficulties migrating data from legacy system to AWS | 26% |
| Lack of appropriate skills in the end user organization to manage the product/solution | 23% |
| Lack of project goals and benchmarks | 23% |
| Data migration issues | 21% |
| Shortage of resource in the end user organization available to manage the product/solution | 19% |
| Lack of stakeholder buy-in | 15% |
| The end user organization isn't ready for the business change | 9% |
| Funding ran out/budgetary constraints | 9% |
| Price negation | 9% |
| None | 6% |
| Other | 2% |
Outsourcing development
Careers and Hiring Guide
AWS Edition 2025
Key Findings
Our key findings report contains highlights from this year’s Careers and Hiring Guide, plus our salary tables to allow you to compare your compensation or benchmark your teams’ salaries or rates no matter their role in the AWS ecosystem.
