The technology industry’s 2018 job market could be significantly different from previous years, according to David Foote, chief analyst of Foote Partners LLC. “2018 will be a foundational year,” Foote explained. “While the talent market will continue to be strong, companies are preparing for a tidal wave of disruptive technologies that will change the way businesses run, as well as the demand for technology professionals and the salaries they command.” Foote reviewed his predictions from last year and referenced data from the firm’s “IT Skills and Certifications Pay Index” to forecast the roles and key skills that will increase in value (as well as those that might lose ground) in the coming year. Swings in job demand, of course, will have a huge effect on hiring and recruitment strategies this year—and beyond.
Jobs Trending Upward
These jobs should expect rising or stable demand (and higher pay) in 2018.Cybersecurity Pros
Foote predicted that 2017 would prove another strong year for cybersecurity professionals. Was he right? Let’s just say that the results speak for themselves. Through October, nine of the top 20 highest-paying certifications tracked by Foote Partners were in the cybersecurity category, with specialists earning average salaries of $100,188 nationally. Foote foresees even stronger demand in 2018 as companies wrestle with new threats, governance and risk-management issues, as well as strategies for securing an IoT infrastructure. For those companies recruiting for cybersecurity roles, keep a lookout for candidates with some of the strongest-performing certifications, which include cybersecurity, forensics, architecture, penetration testing, perimeter protection and enterprise defense, software life cycle, wireless, security analysis and secure software programming.Big Data
The cash premiums that employers are willing to pay for all 128 certified and noncertified Big Data skills tracked by Foote Partners increased 3.3 percent in market value over the past 12 months. Foote projects continued growth over the next two to three years, as businesses will need additional help to manage and analyze the high volume of data coming from Internet of Things (IoT) devices.E-Commerce Specialists
UX/UI designers with e-commerce experience, as well as tech pros with user acceptance testing (UAT) experience, will be in high demand over the next two years as online shopping continues to take a bigger slice of the retail pie. That could present a recruiting challenge for companies that are trying to move aggressively into e-commerce, or revamp their current online storefronts.IoT Jobs
The advent of IoT will spark demand for a variety of engineers and designers, data scientists, cybersecurity experts, business analysts and more; employers should look for those tech pros with broad skillsets, because IoT is a truly multidisciplinary field at this juncture. “Many employers have started cross-skilling programs for software developers and hardware developers, and they will also be looking to hire professionals who can connect the ‘I’ with the ‘T,”’ Foote explained. For example, hardware engineers advance their careers in this segment by studying C and C++, in order to better understand the “full stack” of hardware and software that go into IoT products. According to Foote Partners’ surveys, some of the most sought-after IoT skills include device management/MEMS, wireless communications, integration & gateways, Big Data, predictive analytics, security, BI, UX/UI, artificial intelligence (A.I.) and DevOps. Recruiters, keep all that in mind when crafting your job posting.Blockchain
Foote believes that 2018 will mark the true beginning of broader demand for specific Blockchain skills, and exacerbate shortages of developers (and especially architects) who can design and build Blockchain operating models. As validation, Foote noted that pay premiums for Blockchain pros averaged 15 percent of base salary through October 1. Blockchain skills are in short supply; when reviewing candidates for such a job, look for some combination of the following skills:- Ethereum’s smart contracts platform
- Cryptocurrency platforms. Filecoin (for storage); SparkleCOIN; Bitcoin
- Gameflip
- Smart contract programming languages: Solidity, LLL, Serpent
- Java, C++, Go and Python with experience programming on a Blockchain platform
