With the Great Resignation in full swing and a shortage of skills in the tech sector, you wouldn’t be the only one to think that it would be easy to launch a career – or accelerate one – in the tech sector.
However, knowing the in-demand skills, backgrounds and traits is important in being able to properly leverage what you bring to the table.
It’s also important to understand the way in which the industry is evolving, and which skills are more in demand in certain areas of tech.
What skills and backgrounds are tech companies looking for in 2022?
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills are ideal for the fast-paced nature of the tech industry.
An interesting point to note is that, though STEM skills may have been traditionally associated with an academic pipeline – schools, further education, apprenticeships – there is now also the possibility that an individual has acquired STEM knowledge in a workplace setting ‘on the job’.
This means that the backgrounds traditionally associated with STEM skillsets may no longer be the sole benchmark when hiring.
For many tech businesses, those with STEM skills offer the ability to assist with researching, building, and improving, innovative software.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, coding is still in high demand in the tech sector, for both existing and widely-used technologies to the emerging technologies.
Bootstrap, jQuery, Angular, Code Igniter, PHP/JavaScript and MySQL are skills that are regularly listed in the top 10 most in-demand by employers on LinkedIn, which is why candidates with coding skills can have a unique advantage when pursuing tech roles.
As the sector continues to evolve, technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) also rise in popularity.
This means that coding will become vital in the uptake of emerging technologies in order to provide AR and VR developers with a strong foundation to evolve AR and VR for the future.
In Europe and the United States, demand for technological skills is expected to rise by more than 50%, and Data Scientists are listed consistently by Glassdoor in their Best Jobs Listing.
Companies across the board are gathering huge amounts of data, which requires the expertise of those who can make sense of it and gain value from it.
More than half of North American businesses have adopted big data analytics, and it is predicted that more than 150 trillion gigabytes of data will need to be analysed by 2025.
Put simply, data science and analytics skills are only likely to be in higher demand as companies increase their investment in data analytics and their accumulation of data.
Covid-19 has also driven this trend, as by 2022, worldwide spend on big data analytics solutions will be worth over $274.3 billion.
The accelerated digital growth spurred by the pandemic will continue to drive higher demand for data analytics skills well into the future.
Though hard skills are often focused on more than soft skills in the tech sector, that doesn’t mean that soft skills aren’t also in high demand.
There has been much debate on the use of AI in business, yet soft skills such as decision making, problem solving, and critical thinking are as essential as ever.
The top ten skills for success according to the World Economic Forum as a response to the rise of the Fourth Industrial Revolution are as follows:
- Complex problem solving
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- People management
- Coordinating with others
- Emotional intelligence
- Judgement and decision making
- Service orientation
- Negotiation
There is also the added benefit that soft skills can help businesses to adapt to the changing workforce trends such as hybrid working – having a candidate that has strong people management and critical thinking can contribute towards innovation even during times of continuing uncertainty.
The growth of connected and Internet of Things (IoT) devices has left many organisations vulnerable to cyber attacks, with cybersecurity consistently ranking highly as a business priority across sectors, making those with cybersecurity skills vital for tech businesses.
Information security and cybersecurity are high priorities for tech companies as digital innovation continues to transform the technology and processes that are used – which requires robust security.
Cybersecurity Ventures noted the 350% growth of unfilled cybersecurity jobs over an eight year period (2013-2021), with a prediction that the same number of openings will be present by 2025.
Due to such a wide gap, entry to mid-level positions are now less likely to require certifications, allowing employers to cast a wider net for candidates.
With such a significant skills gap in such a vital area, it is expected that cybersecurity skills will continue to rank highly on the most in demand skills for tech companies.
Perhaps less spoken about, user experience design is an integral part of any tech organisation looking to give their clients value.
Those with UX design skills can bring a sense of consistency and logic to all stages of the software development cycle.
UX is one of the top five in demand skills according to a report by LinkedIn, matching an increased global demand.
Tech companies hoping to expand their online capabilities need those with strong UX skills to remain competitive and agile – and UX skills are highly transferable too, which is equally beneficial.
The skills that are in high demand in tech often correlate with the rapid digital transformation and trajectory of emerging technologies – hard skills such as cybersecurity, UX, data programming, STEM, and data analytics – to keep companies innovative.
Soft skills are also increasing in importance due to the shift in workforce trends, making those with strong leadership and critical thinking skills sought after to manage teams across remote or hybrid working models.
For candidates, knowing the areas which are facing significant gaps can be an opportunity to leverage their skillsets and land their ideal role.
Get in touch with us today to help you find your next exciting opportunity!