Tech Jobs to Grow by 2030

The employment world is ever-changing, and technology is one of the major forces driving that change. Today, we live in a world where consumers are making higher demands on technology – and the tech world is being urged to respond accordingly. In a time when there are more tech job vacancies than there are people to fill them, there is a need for mass revaluation of the role of tech in the future, and where the workforce fits into that.

According to PwC’s Workforce of the Future report, which quizzed 10,000 workers about their aspirations and concerns for the future, despite the current gap between demand for tech jobs and talent to fill them, 37% of respondents are worried about automation putting jobs at risk – up from 33% in 2014. Furthermore, 74% are ready to learn new skills or re-train to remain employable in the future. This is not surprising when you consider that, according to GlobalData, searches for job listings relating to big data and cloud, including data engineering, Java developer and cloud scientist roles, rose by 57% between 2020 and 2021.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, (BLS), predict that employment in IT and computer occupations will grow by a further 13% in the next ten years. This acceleration in the already increasing demand for tech jobs can be attributed to a host of factors, including demographics, geopolitics, decarbonization, delocalization, and, of course, the pandemic, all of which combine to induce one of the most dramatic periods of industrial change that this generation has seen. 

Predictions for 2021-31

Economists and tech leaders may speculate on the tech job opportunities for tomorrow by relying in part on in-depth analysis of the BLS’ monthly reports. However, far for being reserved for the specialists, the Bureau’s summary of the fastest-growing jobs and careers is a quick-win place for forward thinkers, including those aspiring to the Chief Technology Officer role, to look at emerging job trends.  From healthcare to tech jobs, people looking at acquiring critical skills need only look at the list to see where future demand is most likely to be. Although healthcare and hospitality roles are predicted to see the highest growth rates, tech jobs feature strongly; another testimony to the global dependence on technology to support fundamental functions.

The fastest growing tech jobs

The 13% predicted growth in numbers of tech jobs is significantly higher than the national average of around 8% and may be cause for concern to employers considering the current talent gap and the impending mass retirement of the baby boomer generation. This does, however, present an ideal opportunity for people with ambitions for growth in the tech world to invest now and capitalize on the emerging trends in the future. According to the BLS, the following tech jobs are most likely to grow in demand between 2021 and 2031.

•         Data scientist – 36% growth – Cloud scientists play an increasingly vital role in a world that relies on the large-scale storage of limitless information across locations.
•         Information Security Analyst – 35% growth – our information is precious, yet we are continually exposing ourselves to risk. As our dependence on data rises, there will be increasing demands for information security analysts to protect organizations and their customers.
•         Web developers– 30% growth – in a world where most people look to the web before making any kind of decision, web developers are in more demand than ever.
•         Software developer – 26%– for nearly three decades, Java has remained one of the most utilized programming languages. As one of the most efficient and intuitive programming languages, it is not surprising that most software developers use Java. And with a rise in need for software, the need for skilled Java developers can be expected to continue on its rapid trajectory.
•         Data engineer – alongside the development and delivery of tech services and associated rise in the use of apps, automation and intelligent interventions, we can also expect to see a rise in demand for data engineers to organize rapidly growing volumes of data and ensure that data scientists have the information they need. 

An inclusive industry

Whilst many industries are stringent about the levels of qualifications required in order to rise through the ranks, the tech industry is relatively unique in that it is possible to acquire skills on the job. According to the BLS, some of the highest paid jobs only require a bachelor’s degree, while others accept experienced applicants who don’t possess a college degree. A rise in post-secondary education programs allows the traditionally innovative tech industry to harness the talents of people for whom college didn’t work out, by allowing them to gain an education designed to allow them to excel in tech. Couple this with the fact that the median range for tech jobs was reported to be more than twice the national median wage, and the gap in the tech jobs market is a wise one to plan to fill. 

It is doubtless that we are in the midst of unprecedented change. However, if industry projections are correct, the 37% who said they were worried that automatons might make their job need not worry. It is likely that the era of AI, automation, thinking computers and robots will result not in job loss, but job displacement. To put it simply, while some roles may become obsolete through automation, others will be created. The success of this redeployment is dependent on those whose jobs have been “lost” having access to the new opportunities that have arisen and being given the opportunity to retrain accordingly. As such, it would pay for those who are worried about their job security in a few years’ time to start looking for future-proof alternatives now.