The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of the economy, whose progress, from a technological point of view, would have normally taken three or four years to occur.
This is highlighted by a McKinsey survey, which indicates that our "new normal", as we learn to coexist with the virus, has fuelled processes such as teleworking and remote team management, the migration of information to the Cloud, the implementation of cybersecurity measures, or sales and customer service through the online channel. A complete revolution that would not have been possible without the involvement of IT profiles.
IT and technology professionals will continue to lead the change during 2021. But which IT profiles will be in the highest demand by organisations over the year? At BETWEEN, we have created our own selection. If you're thinking of taking on challenges in your career in the IT sector... then keep reading!
Job outlook in the IT sector
The Survey of Labour Insertion of University Graduates (EILU) carried out by the Spanish National Institute of Statistics (INE) places Computer Science within the top 10 fields of study with the highest employment rates. Five years after graduation, 96.3% of the student body has a job. This percentage is even higher among students of software and application development and multimedia engineering (97.4%).
Furthermore, IT profiles tend to enjoy greater job stability. After completing this first five-year period after graduation, 86.7% have a permanent position.
Ranking of the 10 most wanted IT profiles in 2021
Big Data, machine learning and the constant implementation of digital solutions will mark the ecosystem in which IT profiles are set to grow in 2021. These are the 10 profiles that, at BETWEEN, we believe will be in higher demand among businesses over the coming months.
1. Full Stack Developer
Due to its versatile nature and its ability to tackle challenges within a wide spectrum of the development world, the full stack developer position is one of the most promising specialisations in the programming field. This type of developer can work both on the front end and on the back end of the same technology, and is increasingly being implemented within companies. Proof of this is that in the last Stack Overflow Developer Survey, corresponding to 2020, 54.9% of development professionals defined themselves as full stack developers; a percentage that has increased no less than three points compared to 2019, when it stood at 51.9%.
2. Cybersecurity Specialist
The virtual and distributed management of information and the increasingly strict policies for personal data protection have made cybersecurity specialists a key element in any company, regardless of their size. LinkedIn's 2020 Emerging Jobs Report found a 60% increase in these IT profiles within its network compared to the previous year. In addition to telecommunications and accounting, other very sensitive sectors such as banking or the aerospace industry are showing a lot of interest in attracting talent that is trained in computer security and ethical hacking.
3. CTO
The role of the CTO (Chief Technical Officer) is essential when a startup leaves its embryonic phase and begins to scale. Or when well-established companies want to update their products and services to adapt to user demands. CTOs are leading the adoption of precise technological solutions that help companies remain competitive in the marketplace. This IT profile is continuously evolving and is highly oriented towards innovation and customer service, ideal for the changing scenario that the economy is facing as a result of the pandemic.
4. CIO
Chief Information Officer (CIO) is the modern name for the former IT Manager position. And its duties (which we used to imagine as a person who did nothing more than repair broken computers) have evolved along with its name. In 2021, CIOs are in charge of ensuring that all technological equipment performs at the highest level without any incidents.
In addition to having in-depth technical knowledge, the real value of CIOs lies in their ability to manage the human factor, that is, to organise the joint work of the different IT profiles. The importance of the CIO position is that it often reports directly to senior executives at the highest level. Its tasks include establishing the appropriate IT strategy to contribute to the achievement of business objectives.
5. Specialist in AI and Machine Learning
Robert Half Technology's 2021 Salary Guide highlights the Specialist in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning position as one of the IT profiles of the year. It's not surprising, considering that LinkedIn has ranked it first in its 2020 Emerging Jobs Report, after verifying that it experienced a year-on-year growth of 76%.
As an area of study that's very new, the origin of these specialists in AI and Machine Learning is very diverse. The most common origin is a technological and/or scientific university degree, enriched with programming knowledge in in Python and other languages such as C++ and Java; in addition to R, data visualisation with Power BI or deep learning.
6. DevOps
According to the 2020 Open Source Jobs Report, prepared by The Linux Foundation and edX, 65% of companies are considering hiring DevOps specialists; a percentage higher than that recorded in the survey of the previous year, when it stood at 59%. On the other hand, Stack Overflow places DevOps among the highest paid IT profiles of 2020.
The reason for this boom is due to the fact that they are viewed as strategic roles within many companies, since their work is also delicate and vital at the same time: they must integrate the work of the Development and Operations areas. This results in increased productivity, higher quality ratings and greater customer satisfaction.
7. Cloud Architecture and Consulting
Cloud architecture and consulting professionals follow the same path. The trend in which information stored on local servers is moved to Cloud services has led to an increase in the registration of these IT profiles on LinkedIn of 49% in just one year. They are experts who know their way around Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, the TIBCO suite or Google Cloud like a fish in water.
The Linux Foundation and edX also point out that 70% of companies seeking talent in Cloud architecture and consulting value knowledge of open source technologies for data storage.
8. App Developers
In today's world, mobile phones are the device most frequently used by Spaniards to browse the internet. 91.5% of Internet users do so on their phones, according to the latest "Internet Navigators" study of the Spanish Association for Media Research (AIMC). Given this trend, it is no surprise that there is a growing need for IT profiles that are focused on the development of apps for Android and iOS, who will work as a team with colleagues from the Design and UX areas.
9. Data Engineering
According to the Dice Tech Job Report for the third quarter of 2020, the role of data engineer comes in third within the ranking of IT profiles with the highest volume of job applications. With the expansion of Big Data as an indispensable source of knowledge for organisations, analysts and data scientists require the support of professionals who are in charge of designing the architecture of databases and processing systems. This is the main task of each data engineer, who will ensure that the technological infrastructure is adequate in order to get the most out of data exploitation.
10. Programming in Perl
Perl is a very unpopular programming language. It is an interpreted language, it is used mainly in administration tasks and its use has been very much restricted to Unix environments. However, most likely due to the scarcity of IT profiles that have a mastery of it, Perl programmers have the highest salaries in the development world. Taking into account global pay scales, Stack Overflow calculates that they get paid an average of $76,000 per year.
In which of these IT profiles would you like to continue furthering your professional career? With BETWEEN, you'll have all these options -and many more- at your fingertips to keep growing as an IT and Development professional within the most stimulating environment. Check out our specialised tech jobs offers and send us your application. Step up to the challenge!
