Despite the uncertainty caused by a long-lasting COVID-19 crisis and economic unrest, the world keeps turning, and the tech industry continues to grow and develop. As a result, the demand for well-qualified tech specialists is at a record high and for some specializations, just keeps growing.
In this ever-evolving market, trends tend to come and go in a flash. We decided to make a list of the most in-demand, promising, and high-paying tech skills and jobs in 2021, based on a number of studies, expert opinions, and market data worldwide.
Most in-demand skills and expertise
According to Technology’s 2021 Salary Guide by Robert Half International, a global recruiting and HR consulting firm, these are 10 most in-demand skills and expertise in the technology industry in 2021:
Agile and Scrum
ASP.NET
Java
Cloud (AWS, Azure, Google)
ITIL
JavaScript
Python
ReactJS and React Native
SQL
VR/AR/MR/XR
“With the shift to remote work, an increased reliance on online retail and other recent changes, competition is high for developer, help desk, security and DevOps expertise. Companies are also looking for skilled professionals in emerging areas such as virtual and augmented reality,” the authors of this report say.
Most IT-hiring sectors of the economy
According to the same report, the most hiring and hungry for new talent in tech are the following four economy sectors:
Technology
With e-Commerce businesses and remote-workforce products on the rise, the technology sector keeps being very competitive for the best specialists.
Financial services
Traditional financial institutions are driving the demand also as they need professionals with skills in emerging areas like AI to compete with fintech companies.
Healthcare
Growing areas in healthcare include telemedicine, diagnostic accuracy and quality of care. AI, cloud computing and data experts are in demand.
Government
Finally, government organizations also need tech professionals to help streamline operations, upgrade outdated infrastructure and manage digital transformation efforts.
Highest paying in-demand tech jobs
Even though various specializations in tech can be considered trending and well-paid in today’s market, the following seven have made it in our list, which was based on a number of criteria, such as the number of job postings, salaries, career opportunities, skill requirements, etc.
1. Big data engineer
According to this data, today over 97 percent of organizations are investing in Big data and AI in one form or the other. Being able to extract, organize and use Big data gets increasingly important in today’s business world. This is why Big data engineers are in-demand and can expect quite a good compensation. For example, in the U.S. the average Big Data Engineer’s salary is $116,591 per year, based on Glassdoor’s data. According to PayScale, the average salary of a Big Data Engineer in Canada is C$80,217/year. In Australia it’s AU$103,346/year, in Germany — €60,632/year.
Here are some of the most frequently required skills for Big data engineers:
Machine Learning.
Database skills and tools.
Hadoop.
Java.
Python.
Apache Kafka.
Scala.
Cloud computing.
2. DevOps engineer
With an increasing focus on productivity and automation integration throughout industries and economy sectors, DevOps engineers are in high demand as well. According to Glassdoor, in the U.S. the average salary for DevOps Engineer is $99,523 per year.
The most important skills to be considered qualified for DevOps Engineer positions are the following:
Knowledge of various DevOps tools and technologies.
Source code management.
Configuration management.
Continuous integration.
Continuous testing.
Continuous monitoring.
Containerization.
3. Internet of Things (IoT) solutions architect
As the number of IoT devices and solutions keeps growing at a high pace, organizations around the globe are in need of IoT solutions architects to manage and organize the development and deployment of IoT solutions. According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary for an IoT Solutions Architect position in the U.S. is $132,462 per year. And it can go as high as $217,000/year.
Most frequently required skills for this position are:
In-depth technical knowledge into the end-to-end architectures and capabilities of well-known IoT platforms.
Experience as a technical architect.
Knowledge of players and platform vendors in IoT and analytics.
Being able to write code in Python or R and build prototypes.
Basic cloud computing skills.
4. Cloud solutions architect
Cloud services and moving to the cloud is another big trend today, so it’s no wonder cloud solutions architects are in the list of the most high-paid and in-demand tech specializations. According to Salary.com, the average Cloud Solutions Architect salary in the United States is $139,808 per year, ranging between $126,442 and $153,892 per year.
Most frequently required skills for this position are:
Java, Python or C#.
Ability to design and implement cloud infrastructure, platforms and applications.
Data storage fundamentals.
Cloud-specific patterns and technologies.
AWS service architecture.
5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) engineer
Along with Big data and cloud technologies, AI is still trending in 2021 and keeps growing. Companies are rushing to take the advantage of this new technology ahead of competitors, and the demand for AI engineers is on the rise. According to ZipRecruiter, the average AI engineer salary in the U.S. now goes as high as $164,769 a year, peaking at $304,500/year in some cases.
Most frequently required skills for this position are:
Programming languages (Java, Python, R).
Linear algebra and statistics.
Signal processing techniques.
Neural network architectures.
Algorithms and Frameworks.
Spark and Big data technologies.
6. Information systems security manager
As new technologies emerge and the volumes of personal and other sensitive data grow, businesses more than ever need well-qualified security professionals to keep their systems and the data safe and protected. According to this data, the average salary for Information systems security professionals in the U.S. is $105,060 per year, with the lowest 10% earning approximately $80,160 per year, while the top 10% earned upwards of $188,000 annually.
Most frequently required skills for this position are:
Security tools and programs.
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) or CompTIA Security+ certifications.
Business security practices and procedures.
Hardware/software security implementation.
Encryption techniques/tools.
7. Mobile applications developer
The fact that mobile developers are in demand should come as no surprise as pretty much any business these days needs to have its own app. According to Glassdoor, an average Java Mobile Developer in the United States makes $96,016 annually. The average salary level varies from $64k per year as the minimum to $140k a year at the peak.
Most frequently required skills for this position are:
Java application development knowledge.
iOS and/or Android development experience.
Android SDKs, XCode or Android Studio, Unit Testing, REST APIs.
GO TO FULL VERSION