IT jobs increasing in demand in 2023 (and 2024)
Informational technology is a continuously growing industry, and demand for experts in this field still grows despite recent turmoils in the global economy. IT specialists enjoy good salaries, high levels of job satisfaction, and broad benefits packages. Those with sought-after expertise are regularly approached by IT headhunters and recruiters - and can basically pick and choose the organization they want to work for.
Read this article to find out which IT specializations are growing in demand and what skills are required to perform them.
Programmers still in high demand in 2024
Tech jobs are in such high demand because all spheres of human life and the global economy increasingly rely on digitalization. Moreover, information technology is continuously evolving and constantly being perfected by some of today’s most innovative individuals and companies. This was as true in 2023, when we first wrote this article, as it is in March of 2023, when we’re revising it.
While it may seem that many people already pursue information technology careers, tech talent is still difficult to find. In a recent survey by Deloitte, nearly 90% of technology industry leaders named recruiting and retaining talent a challenge for their organization. It is especially true for talent in some of the latest IT technology in demand, like artificial intelligence or platform engineering.
According to Gaper, for every 100 openings in the IT job market in 2022, there were only 65 potential candidates. In the McKinsey Tech Talent Global Survey, 87% of organizations reported experiencing skill gaps or expecting to experience them within 5 years.
On the other hand, more than 169,000 IT employees were laid off in the US in 2023 alone. This apparent discrepancy may partially result from the misalignment of these workers’ skills and the expertise the companies require.
What does it mean for those who pursue a career in IT? In short, there’s still room for you in the information technology job market. However, to maximize your chances of getting your dream job, you should start by researching top jobs in IT that grow in demand.
Tech professionals’ necessary skills
According to the 2023 HackerRank Developer Skills Report, technology skills that grew in demand faster than the overall trend include Machine Learning, .NET, Selenium, REST API, Kubernetes, Data Models, Data Visualization, and Data Wrangling. While some of these are closely related to the software development process, others hint at different in-demand IT jobs: data scientists, cloud computing specialists, software testing experts, and artificial intelligence (AI) engineers.
However, all IT teams also require non-technical skills (usually referred to as “soft skills”) to function properly. According to the “Future of Jobs Report 2023” published by the World Economic Forum, analytical and creative thinking are the most significant skills workers in any industry can possess.
Some other core skills mentioned in the report are resilience, flexibility, agility, motivation, self-awareness, inquisitiveness, commitment to continuous learning, dependability, attention to detail, empathy, active listening, leadership, and social influence.
Maxima Consulting’s clients, when hiring experts in the technology field, prefer candidates with strong communication skills. Engineers who can make informed decisions independently and explain their reasoning to other team members and stakeholders are immensely valued.
Want to know more about soft skills? See our previous article for a complete list of 12 top soft skills to mention in an IT specialist’s resume, including critical thinking, collaboration skills, and open-mindedness.
List of in-demand tech jobs for 2024
Discover latest tech jobs having the most potential for the future, according to the Maxima Consulting recruitment departament. Our list combines the most in-demand jobs found in recent papers and articles, job opportunities and IT gigs that we see listed on IT recruitment boards all the time, and some of the technology jobs our clients require to fill most often. It seems that software developers, analysts, security officers, and AI experts continue to dominate the list of IT jobs on the rise.
1. Software developers
When it comes to software development, it is all about experience with the right programming languages and frameworks. While various apps and websites are needed across all industries, even basic experience with some technologies is simply much more in demand than a thorough understanding of other ones.
That being said, some legacy and niche programming languages are still very much in use, and the number of technology experts that can use them decreases as more and more retire every year. For example, this is the case with COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language), which is still widely used in the banking and finance industry.
Job opportunities for a software developer focusing on niche coding languages may be rare compared to the number of needed front-end experts or web developers. However, the demand still exists, especially for software engineering specialists who combine knowledge of niche languages with expertise in modern technologies. Such experts are very valuable to companies willing to modernize their systems or migrate their legacy software programs to a modern cloud infrastructure.
According to the 2023 HackerRank Developer Skills Report, only about 20% of tests that IT candidates had to perform to secure a job required familiarity with a specific coding language. Among the assessments that mandated using specified programming languages, five visibly outranked the rest: Java, Python, SQL, C++, and JavaScript. When it comes to growing in demand, the number of tests that mandated the usage of the Go language (employed in cloud services and web development) grew by 301%. The popularity of tests mandating the usage of TypeScript (employed in both front- and back-end development) rose by 392% compared with 2021.
Front-end development professionals
The front end is the software’s part that is visible to users. In the case of a website, it’s the layout you see while browsing, parts that you directly interact with. In business applications, it is the client-side part of the app. A front-end developer is responsible for building a visually appealing and easy-to-navigate front of a whole software product.
Front-end devs work mainly with web and mobile apps, so they’re expected to be proficient with HTML and CSS. Javascript is the language of choice for most, but some frameworks support building the front end with other technologies. TypeScript is another popular choice that builds on JavaScript to make the development of large applications easier with static typing with type annotations. Front-end development heavily relies upon frameworks and libraries that a given team has in their tech stack. Front-end specialists use React, Vue.js, jQuery, Node.js, Angular, and many others every day to provide a structure that allows them to reuse code and enables quick iteration.
Front-end experts require creativity to produce visually stunning interfaces and differentiate them from the competition. Problem-solving is needed to provide solutions that satisfy the business needs of their organizations without impeding the designs and user experience. As front-ends collaborate daily with back-end developers, project managers, designers, and other specialists, teamwork is also considered a core skill.
Back-end development specialists
The back end is a term that refers to the server side of web applications - usually all software elements that end-users don’t see and don’t have direct access to. These elements include the way an app communicates with databases, APIs, and servers. A back-end developer is responsible for ensuring the application can properly perform the actions required for it to work as intended.
Back-end devs frequently use programming languages like PHP, Java, Python, Ruby, Javascript, and C# to achieve their objectives. When it comes to frameworks, Laravel, Django, Flask, and Ruby on Rails are among the most popular ones.
To work well in a team, any back-end specialist should have good interpersonal skills, as being able to effectively communicate and actively listen to others is paramount to success. Some of the other traits top back-end experts are praised for our ambition in setting and achieving goals and the ability to investigate code, research possible solutions, and draw logical conclusions.
Full-stack development experts
Full-stack development concerns itself with building both the front end and back end of a website or web app. A successful Full-stack developer has a solid understanding of design and user experience principles combined with expertise in software’s inner workings.
Full-stack devs have a broad knowledge of both front- and back-end technologies and practices that allow them to prototype and iterate quickly. Their thorough expertise, combined with efficient communication and leadership qualities, make them able to support colleagues across the whole software development process. Such employees can be very precious for companies focusing on software quality and innovation.
2. Systems analysts
Software developers are just one type of skilled professionals whose primary duties revolve around the use of information technology. Computer system analysts, also known as simply “systems analysts” and “business technology analysts,” are specialists in solving business issues with IT. They analyze, design, and sometimes implement information systems capable of bringing the desired outcomes to stakeholders, end-users, software engineers, and other technology professionals.
Some necessary skills needed in a systems analyst job are design thinking, creativity, the ability to motivate, and a strong understanding of the company’s business strategy.
3. Information security experts
With the number of cyber threats rising every year, security issues have become a top priority for many companies, regardless of the industry. Along with the growth of modern cloud computing capabilities and software development methodologies, security has evolved into everyone’s responsibility (see shift-left approach to security). However, dedicated security experts are still very much needed to guide the technology teams.
Cyber security experts and information security analysts are responsible for developing information risk management and data access policies, maintaining the organization’s network security, performing information security audits, and implementing security measures across software systems and teams.
4. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) experts
Although the peak of hype for AI-generated images and AI-based chatbots is behind us, AI engineers don’t have much reasons to worry. The AI boom we recently experienced has proven there’s a genuine business need for mature AI solutions, robust machine learning algorithms, and professional tools that leverage artificial intelligence capabilities in healthcare, manufacturing, software development, customer service, and marketing, among many others.
When it comes to generative AI, leading companies are far ahead of anything publicly available. According to a survey by McKinsey, 27% of AI high performers intend to use AI to increase the revenue from their core business, and 30% want to introduce new AI-based features to increase the value of existing offerings.
There are also challenges to resolve. Popular models generated massive carbon emissions numbers. GPT-3 emitted 502 tons of CO2. Gopher - 352 tons. In 2019. AI, Algorithmic, and Automation Incidents and Controversies (AIAAIC) Repository, an independent resource about incidents and controversies with AI, posted more than 300 AI-related incidents on its website in 2023 alone. In other words, AI engineers have a lot to accomplish.
5. Cloud computing experts and platform engineers
Cloud computing is here to stay. Both private and public cloud platforms grow every year, and an increasing number of companies opt for hybrid and multi-cloud solutions. Cloud architects, DevOps engineers, and SRE experts are needed in all industries to drive digital transformation, establish efficient cloud environments, and manage it daily.
Cloud engineer is a general term used to describe all specialists involved in cloud computing. Therefore, cloud engineers can be responsible for multiple processes, including cloud migration projects, cloud infrastructure management and optimization, cloud automation, and other tasks related to cloud services.
Moreover, the evolution of the cloud has enabled IT innovators to propose new methodologies that seek to optimize cloud environments and integrate them into everyday processes.
- DevOps is a holistic approach to software engineering and operations that aims to harmonize and streamline the software development and deployment processes.
- Site reliability engineering (SRE) is an approach to infrastructure that originated at Google and focuses on using software engineering solutions, including automation, for infrastructure and operations tasks.
- Platform engineering emerged as a discipline combining cloud-native software engineering and operations tasks to improve developer productivity and experience.
6. Data scientists, data engineers, and data architects
Data science and data engineering are extremely useful to companies, as they support business intelligence (BI) activities and provide the means of making overall more informed decisions.
Data scientist is a broad term that describes people working with statistics, processes, and algorithms to extract valuable insights from raw data. Data analysts and data scientists collect and sort data, identify patterns, transform the sets to create data models, identify helpful information hidden in big data, draw conclusions, and present their findings to stakeholders in order to provide support in decision-making.
It is a growing field that offers fascinating puzzles for prospective data scientists and engineers, including challenges related to data storage, data mining, and data security. A successful data scientist’s job responsibilities also include finding ways of effective collaboration, identifying business needs, and clear communication of results.
7. Quality Assurance professionals
Quality assurance is an integral part of developing software applications and the only certain way to ensure customer satisfaction. People working in in-demand roles like QA specialists and software testers are responsible for making sure apps and software systems satisfy business requirements and perform within expectations.
The top skills for QA professionals are creativity, attention to detail, communication, and problem-solving skills. Coding is not always necessary, although it may be beneficial to know the rules that govern the programming languages.
There are many testing methods to achieve the required software quality, including performing unit tests, integration tests, functional tests, and performance tests. Test automation also plays a significant role in modern QA/ST processes.
Software testing specialists utilize a whole range of tools in their work. Popular choices include test automation tools and functional testing tools like Selenium, Appium, and Katalon; tools like Apache JMeter and LoadRunner used to test performance; various compatibility testing tools used to ensure usability across desktops and a range of mobile devices; and test management tools utilized for planning and reporting all QA activities, such as TestRail, Xray, and Jira.
For the reasons described above, a career path in Quality Assurance may look very different for different people.
In-demand tech jobs at Maxima Consulting
Some of the most in-demand tech jobs our recruitment team needed to fill this year comprise front-end developers, project management specialists, as well as a couple of full-stack developer and software engineer roles.
However, as a specialized IT vendor working with organizations across banking and finance, insurance, transport and logistics, energy and utilities, pharma and healthcare, and telecommunications industries, our clients’ most in-demand IT jobs include some less obvious positions.
Consult the list below to discover less popular but still outstanding career paths, along with a short job description for each role or go straight to our current job openings.
Temenos Triple’A Plus consultants
Triple’A Plus (TAP) Consultants are IT experts versed in a digital wealth management solution developed by Temenos to aid financial institutions. These developers use their expertise in Temenos products, Linux, SQL, and their troubleshooting abilities to customize, improve, and manage this popular portfolio management software.
Read our previous article to learn how to become a Triple’A Plus expert.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 developers
Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O (Finance and Operations) is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system used mainly by medium and large organizations for its automation capabilities and day-to-day management of their global operations.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 CE (Customer Engagement) is a Customer Relationship Manager (SRM) solution that companies use to improve their marketing and sales effectiveness by enabling their workforce to provide high-quality customer service.
Both these solutions are highly customizable but call for product-specific expertise that is hard to come by. Skills needed to succeed in this position include analytics abilities, design knowledge, good communication skills, and independent decision-making.
Moreover, MS Dynamics developers are expected to have at least some experience working with multiple programming languages and script languages, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, C#, .NET, and SQL. Knowledge of MS Azure cloud is also crucial.
Kubernetes experts and CRD developers
A custom resource definition (CRD) is a fairly recent innovation used to extend Kubernetes with unique objects that meet custom requirements. A CRD developer is someone who develops such objects (or types).
To succeed in this field, one needs to be proficient in microservices design, cloud architecture, system administration, API support, and DevOps methodology.
How do you snatch the best opportunities in the tech industry?
While there is no one fool-proof answer to that question, there are multiple ways to maximize your chances of getting that dream job in IT:
- Before committing to a specific technology, research its popularity and make sure that employers will still need it in the coming years.
- Staying up to date with the IT industry trends is crucial for both senior and entry-level positions.
- Whenever you don’t get a desired job, ask hiring managers for feedback and work on skills they point out as your weak points.
- Remember that soft skills are essential and may give you a competitive edge in any recruitment process.
Build a perfect tech resume
When it comes to in-demand tech jobs, you will often compete with other developers during the hiring process. A proper resume can score you a couple of extra points in a situation like that.
Make sure it’s easy for the recruitment team to learn your strong suits and greatest professional achievements with our guide to creating a tech candidate CV.
Capitalize on high IT job demand with more expert tips
Last but not least, look for job search tips on potential employers’’ websites. For example, you can find a whole category filled with helpful advice for tech industry candidates on our blog.
Advance your IT career with Maxima Consulting
Since you’re here, reading about trending jobs in IT sector, it’s a safe bet to say that you are looking for a job in information technology. I encourage you to browse our careers page to see the latest technology jobs we recruit for.
Maxima Consulting is a people-centric company that understands that employees are our true strength. We offer robust relocation policies, aid our consultants in their professional growth, and build success on trust and support.
