What Tech Roles Are On The Rise?
From the ashes of 2020 came the explosion of tech demand in 2021. Tech roles, tech culture, tech integration, tech demands are on the rise, across the board, in almost every sector. How do we keep up, and where are the emerging roles coming from in this most essential of “new” industries?
Last year, each quarter showed tech (in all its guises) being leaned on to help companies digitize, shore up losses and to revolutionize in the wake of COVID-19.
Tech job postings across the U.S. increased by 16% from Q1 2021 (source),
After 2020 dips, tech job postings are up almost 30% in Q2 (source),
In Q3, more than three-quarters (of tech companies)...boosted hiring (source),
While the business of human capital development pivots to take stock of digital skills pressures, entire economies are shifting to reskilling existing workers to make up the shortfall. According to the World Economic Forum:
The OECD estimates that 1.1 billion jobs are liable to be radically transformed by technology in the next decade,
14% of existing jobs could disappear as a result of automation in the next 15-20 years.
Tech is the driving force behind so much life-changing innovation, and it’s essential that the workforce of the future is prepared. As such, here are the most popular - and most in-demand - tech skills and roles to look out for in 2022 and beyond.
According to technical.ly, the following 10 skills were the most sought by employers for tech jobs:
Project management
SQL
Java
Python
JavaScript
Linux
Scrum
Business process
Technical support
Quality assurance and control
The most popular jobs in tech are:
Database administrator and architect
“Database administrators and architects create or organize systems to store and secure data” (source).
Big data is the future of tech, and database admin talent is already in incredibly high demand to help companies make sense of the incredible weight of data generated by their digital ecosystem.
“Employment of database administrators and architects is projected to grow 8% from 2020 to 2030”.
Average USA Salary: from $38,000 rising to $104,293 for senior roles.
Full-Stack Developer
“Someone who is well-versed in both front-end and back-end development or someone with skills in every stage of development from concept to end product” (source).
Full-Stack Devs are some of the most in-demand specialist tech talent pools on the planet. As Brainhub summarizes it, “the demand for full-stack developers is high because they are a valuable asset to any company. Their wide-ranging knowledge allows them to be flexible, adaptable, and agile, which are essential skills for working on software products both in the startup world and elsewhere”.
While the global focus has been on educating future workforces able to work across a tech stack, commentators have been bemoaning the lack of attention on reskilling, or developing amateur coders, into full-stack roles, with Forbes Councils Member Tigran Sloyan stating the following:
“There are millions of people out there who — despite not having a formal education — have achieved an admirable skill level but are getting passed over because most companies are still relying on resumes alone to tell them the full story…employers need to expand their search radius and change their hiring practices”.
Average USA Salary: $103,865 per year
Cloud Architect
The definition of a cloud architect is best penned by Cloud Academy:
“Cloud computing architecture refers to the components and subcomponents required for cloud computing…These components typically consist of a front end platform, back end platforms, a cloud-based delivery, and a network…A Cloud Architect is responsible for converting the technical requirements of a project into the architecture and design that will guide the final product”
In short, Cloud Architects are bridges between legacy systems and cloud-based operations, and are in MUCH demand.
Average USA Salary: $73,000
DevOps Engineer
“A DevOps engineer introduces processes, tools, and methodologies to balance needs throughout the software development life cycle, from coding and deployment to maintenance and updates” (source)
DevOps professionals have to be super-cognizant of changing tech and IT requirements, with one finger constantly on the pulse of emerging tech products to better build their stack. DevOps are in incredibly short supply, and the role is emerging as one of the most popular and well paid in the tech world.
Average USA Salary: $126,235
