Main image of article Top 30 Tech Skills Employers Want from Remote Workers

If the past 19 months have demonstrated anything, it’s that technologists can perform a wide range of jobs from home. Employers posted many thousands of all-remote tech jobs in 2021—and they were particular about the skills they wanted those job candidates to have. 

In order to figure out those most in-demand tech skills, we can turn to Emsi Burning Glass, which collects and analyzes millions of job postings from across the country. Here’s the full breakdown of the past 11 months:

SQL allows technologists to modify a database’s index structures, retrieve information, and generate new tables. Given its importance to everything database-related, it’s no wonder that employers everywhere want remote technologists who’ve mastered everything SQL-related. Fortunately for remote workers everywhere, the rise of cloud applications, combined with increasingly powerful PC hardware, now allows a technologist on their laptop to wrangle huge databases with relative ease—something that would have been difficult (or outright impossible) a decade ago.

If you’re interested in learning SQL, Microsoft also offers a variety of training materials and instructor-led courses. Other examples of formal online instruction include Udemy and Coursera. For those who want to learn some basic principles quickly, check out this offering from w3schools, which breaks down the various elements of SQL into “chapters.”

All-remote project managers have also remained in strong demand throughout the year. The reason for this is simple: No matter what’s happening in the larger world, projects must be completed on-time and on-budget. In addition to technical know-how, successful project managers also have great “soft skills” such as empathy and communication—and they know how to apply those in both remote and in-person situations. 

Whatever your skill or desire, this list illustrates how employers are seeking a wide variety of technologists who can do their jobs from home. If you’re into the idea of all-remote work, that means a lot of potential out there.