Developers are in seriously high demand at the minute. Or at least, they seem to be according to one somewhat generous tech firm, which is apparently so desperate to hire some talent that it’s prepared to pay an extremely handsome finder’s fee for each qualified individual it hires.

HubSpot, which proclaims itself as an all-in-one marketing software firm, has just launched a new referral program offering a whopping $30,000 to anyone who can introduce them to someone with the kind of expertise they’re looking for:

“HubSpot loves developers. Like, heart-pounding, chest-thumping, breathless love. Care to play matchmaker? We’ll give you $30,000 if you refer us to a developer who makes us feel that way.”

Now, we’re pretty sure that for that price, HubSpot isn’t interested in hiring just anyone. The company obviously wants to get its hands on some of the most talented developers around, but even so, the $30K they’re offering seems a little excessive. After all, developers aren’t in that short a supply are they?

Actually, if you look at the numbers, it seems they are. Or else, they will be very soon. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of jobs for software developers is set to grow by a massive 30% in the next seven years, totalling around 270,000 new job opportunities for suitably qualified individuals. Compare that to the national average – just 14% – and perhaps HubSpot’s incentive to get the best talent on board now isn’t quite so excessive after all.

This apparent demand for developers is backed up by tech firms themselves, many of which indicate that hiring developers is something of a struggle. A recent study of 10,000 tech firms by the IT recruiting firm CyberCoders found that developmental skills were at the forefront of their wants – especially those individuals who had expertise in open-source, mobile and front-end software development.

We can’t certain how long this situation will last, not with the growing number of learn-to-code companies out there these days. Presumably if people get wind of this skill shortage (and the money that some companies are willing to pay), we’ll soon a great deal more volunteers willing to learn the trade.

In the meantime, if you happen to have open-source, mobile or front-end developmental skills and you’re looking for a new challenge, you might just want to speak to the guys at HubSpot and see what they have to offer. Just be sure to go through me so I can collect the finders fee!