• Five times as many high-growth/high-salary positions require experience with Office than all non-Microsoft software skills combined.
• Twenty-nine percent of tomorrow’s high-growth/high-wage positions require Office or Office-related skills.
• Eighty-six percent of hiring managers indicate that IT certifications are a high or medium priority during the candidate evaluation process.
• Eight out of ten HR execs verify certifications among job candidates.
• Ninety one per cent of recruiters consider certification as part of their hiring criteria.

• Sixty four per cent of IT recruiters rate certifications as having extremely high or high value in validating the skills and expertise of job candidates.
• Certification, training and experience are three of the top four most important characteristics when selecting a candidate for a cloud-related position.

• In high-growth industries, entry-level employees who hold a Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) certification or Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification an earn more than their peers.
• In a study group of 20 IT professionals who were provided with exam vouchers, 18 passed the exam. Five of the 18 have been recognised as leaders in their respective technical areas, and most have received a job promotion or are working on more interesting projects.
• In a survey of 700 IT networking professionals, 60 percent said that certification led to a new job.
• Training and certification will play essential roles in preparing IT professionals for the evolving IT org.

Source: microsoft.com