Main image of article Cloud, Python, Java Top Most In-Demand Skills to Train For

Which tech skills do businesses consider most important? That’s a hard question to answer—every business is different—but data in a new report suggests that many organizations are prioritizing training in cloud platforms and a handful of programming languages.

Udemy’s “2023 Workplace Learning Trends Report” (sign-in required), an annual study that crunches data from Udemy’s enterprise learning platform, Udemy Business, breaks down the skills most frequently consumed by clients. The most popular technical skills include, in descending order of consumption:

  • Amazon Web Services (AWS)
  • Python
  • Java
  • Microsoft certification
  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate
  • AWS
  • Excel
  • React
  • JavaScript

Meanwhile, certain tech skills have surged in popularity among Udemy’s clients over the past year. Those skills include:

Employers’ interest in prepping their employees for the cloud is well-founded. “Companies are turning to the cloud in search of improved security and reliability, helping to improve overall business agility,” the report notes. “Public cloud spending is predicted to exceed 45 percent of all enterprise IT spending by 2026 (up from less than 17 percent in 2021), and 60 percent of the world’s corporate data is stored in the cloud. These trends explain why the demand for cloud computing skills—led by Amazon Web Services (AWS)—continues unabated.”

If you’re totally new to AWS, start with Amazon’s own documentation, which breaks down all the features available on the platform. Depending on your desired pathway, you may choose to pursue certain AWS certifications and training opportunities.

It’s a similar situation with Microsoft Azure, which holds roughly 21 percent of the cloud market (versus AWS at roughly 32 percent). Microsoft has lots of documentation tracing out the platform’s parameters, and from there you can choose which training and certification avenues to pursue.

Companies realize the importance of the cloud and related technologies. If you’re interested in learning the skills to work with these technologies, you can ask your manager if they’d be willing to pay for training and certifications. Chances are good they’ll say “yes,” especially if they’re in desperate need of filling a skills gap.