Tech Staffing Update – In-Demand IT Skills for 2021

IT hiring has always been a challenging task, and 2021 is no different. According to CIO.com, “One thing hasn’t changed this year: recruiting top talent is still difficult for most firms, and demand greatly outstrips supply.”

Rapid changes in technology require companies to constantly adapt their IT plans. Temporary hiring and blended (temporary and full-time) teams are even more appealing, providing a faster upstart and the ability to revamp at any moment.

The demand for technical expertise keeps tech staffing professionals busy. Here are just a few of the high-demand IT skills for the current market environment.

AI Engineering, Machine Learning and Data Science

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a hot topic among developers and hiring managers alike. AI applications can learn from human-machine interaction and develop “smart” responses to drive desired behaviors. AI is responsible for the most cutting-edge capabilities in the marketplace today—the software that aims to think faster than humans and make our lives easier. AI programs provide recommendations in online shopping or in streaming content. They also power self-driving cars and natural language processing. The use of this technology will explode in the coming years.

AI applications are built by software engineers that use large data sets combined with machine learning algorithms. To acquire all of the necessary skills to build AI applications, you may need both an AI Engineer and a Machine Learning Engineer as well as a Data Scientist.

The publication Career Karma listed Artificial Intelligence Engineer/Machine Learning Engineer as its Best IT Job of 2021 and projects a growth rate of 344% in this job category. Data Scientist was ranked second both by Career Karma and Glassdoor, and reportedly, the career gets high marks in job satisfaction as well.

With the rate of growth and complexity of these in-demand IT skills, employers will most like pay a premium for quality candidates in this field.

Cybersecurity

The increase in remote work in 2020 catapulted demand for cybersecurity professionals across all industries. According to the PWC 2021 Global Digital Trust Insights, in the first three months of the pandemic, “CEO’s report their organizations digitized at surprising speed, advancing to year two or three of their five-year plans.” This expansion came with new cyber risks that now need long-term organizational solutions.

PWC states that cyber strategy is a top priority for business and technology executives post-pandemic, with 55% increasing their cybersecurity budgets and 51% increasing headcount. IT Career Finder says, “the most sought-after skills for secure application development include container security, microservices and applications security code review.” Glassdoor’s survey, 50 Best Jobs in America for 2021, reports Information Security Engineer is ranked sixth among the top 50 jobs.

Cybersecurity will continue among the high-demand IT skills far beyond 2021. According to PWC, 50% of leaders this year (up from 25% in 2020) will ensure that cybersecurity and privacy requirements are part of all future projects. This also opens the door for further growth in the field of DevSecOps, a role combining software and operations knowledge that incorporates IT security into the development lifecycle.

Cloud Computing/Architecture

In March 2021, we wrote an article on cloud computing citing that the rise of remote work also brought an increased reliance on cloud, or internet-based, tools and data storage. Cloud computing includes Software as Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS). and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

IT Career Finder states that cloud computing ranks fourth among the top 10 in-demand IT skills. Cloud Certifications are highly relevant in this fast-paced industry. For example, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Solutions Architect is recommended by most tech staffing experts.

Java Developer

Java is the language of dynamic applications and websites—it’s critical for the online world. Java is popular in software development for its versatility and relative ease of use.

Glassdoor ranked Java Developer as the number-one job in America given both the number of job opportunities and the strong salary. A good Java developer can code in JavaScript as well as Java Platform, Java Beans and Java Server Pages. According to Career Karma, this field has a growth rate of 19%, and with the programming language’s wide use across industry type, this skillset will stay in demand for years to come.

Rely on Tech Staffing Experts

The rate of change in technology staffing means that sourcing and screening candidates is crucial to acquiring the right resources. Do you have the technical knowledge, and bandwidth, to take this on? Partner with tech staffing experts, like Marchon Partners, to find the high-demand IT skills you need. Marchon Partner’s services include:

• Nationwide sourcing
• Robust screening to include technical assessments
• Remote and in-person interviewing, depending on the situation
• Onboarding (as needed)
• Employer of Record/Payroll (as needed)

Contact us! We can help build your IT teams and power the future of your business.