Not only is the tech industry one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK, it’s also ever-changing, with new development and technological advances being made every year. 2022 has seen a turbulent year in the job market, with giants such as Meta and Amazon making job cuts to save costs. Despite this, the demand for highly skilled tech workers is still strong, with 8.5 million vacancies open in the last year. In 2023 we’re likely to see this trend continue, so we’ve rounded up 6 of the most in-demand tech skills employers are going to be looking for when hiring.
1. Cloud Computing
One of the most sought-after skills in tech is cloud computing. Put simply, it’s the technology that allows a business to store data and servers off site via an internet provider. It allows a company to have faster innovation as well as a lower cost way of maintaining their IT structure. There are many companies offering cloud solutions to clients, but the biggest players in the market are Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and Microsoft Azure.
The demand for cloud computing services has been on an upward trajectory for a while now and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. According to Cloudwards, 94% of all business enterprises use some form of cloud services, and the value of the global cloud services market is predicted to hit $832 billion by 2025. One of the major triggers for this exponential growth in demand was the COVID-19 pandemic, with businesses being forced to adopt a remote working culture if they hadn’t already got it in place. Worldwide, companies are looking to cloud services to help them automate processes which support remote working.
Due to the increase in businesses adapting to using the cloud, individuals with cloud services knowledge and skills are going to be in high demand for the coming years. Technojobs cite 5 main roles in cloud computing; Cloud Engineers, Cloud Architects, Cloud Developers, Cloud Native Engineers and Cloud Specialists. To work in cloud computing, individuals need to have good problem solving skills as well as knowledge of big data and platforms like AWS, Azure & GCP.
2. Cybersecurity
With the growth of companies using cloud services to store data and servers comes an increased threat of cyber attacks. In 2021 the average number of cyber attacks and data breaches increased by 15.1% year-on-year. This is an alarming figure for any business, especially ones which deal with sensitive data. In the wake of the GDPR legislation which came into place in 2018, companies are much more concerned with the protection of their data and systems. This is where cybersecurity comes into play. Cybersecurity teams work hard to put systems in place to help to combat and reduce attacks from third parties. Globally the cyber security sector is projected to be worth $155.83 billion by the end of 2022.
Despite being one of the fastest growing sectors in tech, women reportedly only make up 24% of cybersecurity professionals worldwide. This imbalance only fuels the skills gap which companies are experiencing when trying to hire knowledgeable cybersecurity experts to help with this growing demand. One possible barrier to cybersecurity roles is that they are often extremely technical and require specialist training. However, most employers will be happy to hire someone with transferable skills, perhaps from a computer science degree or an IT support technician role, and train them up whilst on the job.
3. Programming
When you look at a list of tech skills which are in demand, programming is one which is likely to always appear somewhere. Pretty much every company who has a website, especially those in the e-commerce space, will need some level of coding knowledge. However, programming is one of the areas in which companies all over the world are experiencing a skills gap. The market intelligence firm IDC predicts that by 2025 we will be experiencing a shortfall of around 4 million developers. Women in particular are underrepresented in programming, with SheCodes reporting that women currently make up just 25% of the developer workforce.
So, we predict that 2023 will be a year where we see huge demand for programmers – 53% of companies have said to have increased their budget for hiring software developers. The skills gap we are seeing is largely due to people being concerned that they aren’t skilled enough to become a developer. Learning code is very much like learning a new language, but there are plenty of transferable skills which can be used to help get ahead. A good programmer will have lots of attention to detail, and be good at solving problems via trial and error.
4. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
It’s no secret that artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the world we live in. Every year, we adapt to use new technologies such as smart assistants, self-driving cars, chatbots and more. So, it’s no surprise that the AI market was estimated to be worth $93.5bn in 2021 and is predicted to expand at a growth rate of 38.15 between 2022 and 2030. AI is due to become a huge part of all our lives and this growth is only set to skyrocket in the years to come. With this increase comes a demand for highly skilled workers, which we’ll see as a theme as we come into 2023.
It’s commonly misconceived that the introduction of AI means that there will be less jobs for humans, but in technology this is not the case. Although some automations will come into place which means less human resources are needed, the artificial intelligence sector will provide 95 million new jobs by 2025. To get into AI, you need to have knowledge of coding languages as well as be able to learn complex machine learning.
5. Data Science
Once hailed “the sexiest job of the 21st century”, data science has recently had its value questioned with the emergence of bigger tech trends. However, while we still use collect and analyse data, data scientists will very much be in demand. Big data is very much still king when it comes to companies like Amazon, Meta and Apple as it allows them to address business problems they wouldn’t have been able to tackle before. Due to this increase in demand in processing data like this, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of jobs requiring data science skills will grow by 27.9% by 2026.
However, data science has more barriers to entry than other areas of tech. There is pretty much no way of getting into data science without having a background in things like computer science and engineering. This is why there is currently such a big skills gap in the sector. For people who are willing to train up and become data scientists, they can expect a generous salary, with data scientists pulling in an average of between £50k and £60k per year.
6. Blockchain
Blockchain is defined by IBM as a shared, immutable ledger that facilitates the process of recording transactions and tracking assets in a business network. Things like payments, accounts, data and orders can all be tracked using a blockchain network. More and more businesses are using blockchain networks due to the complex nature of how they work – they are almost impossible to hack. The networks also allow data to be transferred quickly and accurately.
Due to the fact that blockchain is still very much an emerging trend, the number of experienced people working in the sector is limited. This means that blockchain developers are now the most sought after candidates in the world of programming. In 2021 on Glassdoor, blockchain postings grew by around 300%. Whilst the technology is still considered new and universities have very limited courses on blockchain, we can expect to see a huge demand for people who understand and have experience with it. We’d expect blockchain to be a highly sought after skill for years to come.
The technology sector is on an upward trajectory and has been for some time now, and this doesn’t look to be slowing down. The opportunities for candidates in tech, particularly women, are endless. It’s a hugely exciting career sector which is ever-changing and developing, meaning it won’t get boring. Why not look into one of the skills in this article and make 2023 the year you break into tech?
