Job trend reports are pointing to big things for the tech industry, including lots of openings and opportunities for growth. Here's the lowdown on tech hiring trends.

In 2012, there will be increased demand for mobile app developers, data warehouse analysts and user experience designers.

Consider the number of people companies will need to hire to build mobile applications across platforms for Apple products, Android and other smartphones. We have previously reported that the smartphone app downloads are projected to grow from 10.9 billion in 2010 to 76.9 billion in 2014.

Executive vice president of Acquity Group Jim Newman, whose team created the infographic below, believes the current tech hiring trends shows that top tech companies including Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft are hiring like crazy despite the global economic downturn.

"Whether the students choose business or technology disciplines, getting experience with Internet-enabled solutions will give them a huge head start when it comes to career opportunities once they graduate," Newman said.

The infographic shows that the biggest tech job markets of 2012 lie in New York, Baltimore, Seattle, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, St. Louis, San Antonio and Greensboro.

Newman told Mashable that there are huge shortages of qualified professionals in the digital and technology space. As an alternative, American companies have hired international employees that are qualified for these U.S. tech jobs because of the lack of help.

"Unfortunately, the bubble-burst of the early 2000s swayed many high school and college students away from these areas," he said. "As an employer, I am experiencing significant challenges in finding enough qualified professionals."

Newman hopes this encourages students and young professionals to consider high-tech jobs as U.S. demand grows for better research and development of products.

Infographic by Acuity Group.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, Fotinakis.