Nobody said the captain had to be human!
Cry Havoc! and let slip the dogs of war!
Posted on 06/14/2023 5:55:14 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Amidst the expansion of the world wide web, cloud computing, large dataset, software, mobile applications, social media, gaming… companies big and small are relying on highly-specialized IT experts.
Indeed, for businesses wanting to keep up, finding top tech talent is a priority—and can be an uphill struggle. Many are after high-demand technical skills, from software development to data-oriented knowhow, according to our 2023 Tech Hiring Survey.
We asked our panel of recruiters which positions they predict will be the most difficult to fill in 2023. Here’s their top 10:
Why are these positions essential to today’s tech ecosystem? Why are they in such high demand and why are they so hard to come by?
Read on to find out.
Full-stack web developers combine the work of front-end and back-end developers and are usually experts in all aspects of website development. They’re in high demand as companies shift from siloed front-end and back-end development teams to programmers who are skilled in all layers of the application stack.
Full-stack engineers are at the very top of recruiters’ list of hard-to-find developers. 30.4% of our recruiter panel predict that they’ll struggle to hire full-stack developers in 2023.
This indicates a potential shortage of full-stack candidates. The boom in demand for web developers does not face as much competition on the front end, for example.
One possible explanation is the widespread availability of online training courses for front-end development, whereas full-stack developers tend to take a more traditional academic path.
Indeed, according to our survey, 70% of full-stack developers have a university degree in Computer Science. This longer learning pattern creates a disconnect between market demand and supply, and recruiters feel it painfully.
Back-end developers work with front-end developers to build and maintain the code behind website and software user interface and design. The backend consists of the application, server and database.
Difficulty to find talented back-end developers is essentially linked to demand. Indeed, back-end developers are the most sought-after developers on the market (55% of companies say they have high demand for back-end engineers).
🔖 Related read: Top Python Interview Questions
The demand for DevOps is increasing and with good reason. According to Puppet’s State of DevOps report, businesses using DevOps practices are able to deploy code 30 times more frequently than their competitors with fewer deployment errors. This has a significant impact on downtimes and efficiency.
Therefore, many companies are hiring engineers with DevOps skills to manage scripting, coding, and process development. DevOps engineers usually handle IT infrastructure, supervise software testing and monitor performance after deployment.
But, there’s a hitch. Supply is relatively scarce. Why? DevOps engineers are multidisciplinary. Necessary skills range from development and operations to security, testing, and analytical abilities. As a result, DevOps engineers can hardly be mass-produced by the education system.
All in all, DevOps are tricky to find, expensive to employ and hard to keep.
🔖 Related read: Hiring a DevOps Engineer: Top Interview Questions
Solutions architects are also in high demand and relatively short supply.
Architecture involves defining the components of a system, their functions, and their mode of interaction. Solution architecture is a complex process that bridges the gap between business and technology solutions.
Simply put, the architect identifies a business’ needs and finds solutions to problems through the design and development of apps and information systems.
One such system is cloud computing. Computer systems are shifting from actual physical storage to cloud services. A cloud architect handles server administration, networking, deploying and running of applications on virtual and physical platforms.
As interest in cloud architecture has grown, so has the demand for architect developers.
“These positions (architect engineers) are hard to fill because they require expertise with legacy systems and expertise with new cutting-edge technologies […] They are increasingly in demand but are not a combination of skills that you can necessarily pick up with the same ease you would with some of the new coding languages like Python.” – Emma Liebmann, Head of Talent Acquisition at Collage.com, in an interview with TechRepublic
Application engineers, also known as software application developers, are responsible for creating new applications and improving existing software and hardware.
Application engineers often act as liaison between development teams and customers. They rely on customer feedback and input to improve software functioning and user experience. They pinpoint use cases and define customer needs. They imagine solutions and manage new releases. They also work on maintenance and testing.
It’s easy to get Application engineers and App developers mixed up. App developers create apps for computing devices and can specialize in mobile technology (Google’s Android, Apple’s iOS, Microsoft’s Windows). Application engineers, on the other hand, aim to improve software functioning and client satisfaction.
Why are Application engineers particularly difficult to find? Because they need to master a wide range of skills, from tech to communication.
“Application engineering combines EDA knowledge with sales, technical marketing, and certain psychological qualities that make filling the position especially challenging.”– Kateřina Smrckova, Senior Human Relations Specialist at Codasip
A front-end developer works on the aspects of websites that users interact with—from dropdown menus and sliders to colors and fonts—using a combination of CSS, HTML, and JavaScript.
Just as back-end developers are in demand to face the desperate need for functional websites, front-end developers are also sought after. Front-end developers strive to meet the growing expectations of today’s users, who want their web experience to be faster, easier, and more exciting than ever before.
🔖 Related read: How to Run Front-End Developer Interviews That Don’t Suck
Businesses, general consumers and developers are gaining interest in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI). In fact, in our Tech Hiring Survey, 35.2% of developers said they would like to learn more about these technologies in 2023.
This year, more companies will be searching for skilled professionals to handle the demands of AI-enabled products and services. There’s a high demand for candidates with knowledge of Data Science, Machine Learning, Big Data, Natural Language Processing, AI integration and AI application programming.
As workloads increase, there’s a recognized need to develop automation programs for time-consuming, menial, and sometimes redundant tasks. With AI, employees can focus on more productive tasks.
Machine Learning specialists are advanced programmers who create AI machines and systems that can learn and apply knowledge. They use sophisticated programming and work with complex data sets and algorithms to teach machines.
Companies need data experts to store, sort, and analyze data retrieved by the organization. Such data is usually highly sensitive, which makes it especially important to have skilled workers who can process valuable data without jeopardizing the company.
Cybersecurity engineers are generally in charge of designing, developing and implementing security systems and subsystems. They’re responsible for protecting organization networks against cyberattacks. They look out for and address any cyber vulnerabilities or threats.
Companies are struggling to find qualified cybersecurity candidates. One potential reason is the extensive and ever-changing list of required certifications and credentials.
“Demand for Cybersecurity engineers is much higher than supply: cyber training courses are still fairly limited and very recent, so there are few experienced professionals compared to the growing demand (ever increasing threat, regulatory framework that’s starting to develop). And companies don’t tend to shine much light on the role, so it doesn’t attract many people. Moreover it requires a very large range of skills: (very) good technical knowledge in various IT areas, risk management, methodology, legal grasp, communication & popularization skills, budget management etc.).”– Frédéric Thirard, Head of Cybersecurity at CoderPad
A “tester” tests software or related projects for errors, bugs, defects or any issues that the end-user might encounter. Simply put, the job of the tester is to evaluate products and create reports for the project team regarding any issues or necessary improvements. To accomplish this, they analyze the project and ascertain the types of tests required. They then create a plan to implement the tests.
As technology continues to gain speed, so does the need for testers. However, working as a tester requires specific and relatively rare skills – it’s not for everyone! Even the most talented programmers can’t (necessarily) substitute the specialized skills of a tester.
Indeed, it’s not easy to create the specific testing frameworks for a software, cause its failure, and then analyze its ability to recover fully. Testers need to brainstorm to test the logic behind every line of code that makes software work. A product will not be approved for use or sale unless it sails through all the tests performed.
As the number of mobile users increases, so does the revenue potential for businesses. Today, companies who want to maintain relevance do not only need websites but also mobile apps.
The mobile developer is a programmer that designs and codes applications and programs that run on smartphones and tablets. They allow companies to deploy every feature from their regular computer website to the mobile platform.
Mobile developers are in high demand this year, as companies look to create and update their space on mobile. What’s more, employment for app developers is projected to grow 31% by 2026, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
As companies in different sectors continue to adopt different technologies to increase revenue and streamline workflow, the rise in demand for skilled tech workers is inevitable—and the positions listed above are set to give recruiters a bit of a headache!
Nobody said the captain had to be human!
Cry Havoc! and let slip the dogs of war!
The plus and minus of these jobs is they can all mostly be filled remotely. That’s great if you’re in them, especially if you work best with limited distractions, but it also means they can be offshored easily.
Me, too. I didn't hate it, but it was time to go. As one moves up the hierarchy, there is less opportunity for keeping technical skills fresh. I didn't want to be a coder for 40 years, I wanted higher-value positions that had more impact on the business.
I've been through file-based ISAM/VSAM systems in COBOL and PL/1; IBM 360/370 JES/JCL systems; VM & TSO; early 4GL languages like FOCUS and NOMAD2; the advent of SQL with IMS, DB2, and Oracle; 3-tier client/server systems with PowerBuilder and Composer; SAP; and Agile/Scrum.
Forty years later, the technologies were changing again with cloud-based SaaS, IaaS, and IoT. It was just time to go. I saved my retirement portfolio and it's time to live work-free for the next 25 years.
-PJ
I started with Burroughs supporting their mainframes, back then virtually nothing was compatible from vendor to another, when I moved into networking deployment I never wanted to take hands off the keyboard, fear of losing a technical edge and the ability to move from one business to another because Cisco switches and routers were the same regardless of company. Later on I went into Cisco Voice Deployments building Cisco Call Manager and Voice Mail Servers
I was a team leader a couple of times, one time at a Cisco Technical Assistance Center supporting Cisco routers and wide area networks but it was a thankless job
I’ve been in IT since 83. I’m sick of IT, sick of IT people and extremely tired of users. I’m going to retire soon and plan on never touching this crap again.
Right back atcha...the fun is gone for me. The 36 hour days followed by endless paperwork and most companies India first policies. I have guys working for me that are in thier 70’s and 80’s, I’ll never understand it.
Struggle = Not offering a realistic competitive salary.
How true. That’s why number 11 would be...
11. Legacy programmer/developer/analyst on IBM i platforms.
"Have you tried turning it off and on again?"
Don’t even get me going on users. The stories I could tell.
We upgraded that phrase to... Have you power cycled it?
Oh I bet you have some good ones...
Ctrl-Alt-Delete works miracles
I've been retired from IT for some years now. About the only thing I qualify for now is a big box store greeter.
RE: Struggle = Not offering a realistic competitive salary.
Is a six figure salary not realistically competitive enough? That’s the average advertised salaries that I see on the job boards.
Think thats my future too. Everything requires a cert just to walk on site. F that noise, not me. I want to work some simple mindless job for about 20 hours a week if at all possible.
Apparently not enough. Supply and demand. It's the law.
When I worked in IT, I discovered that a good rule of thumb for hiring good computer people is asking them which games they play. There seems to be a high correlation between competent computer people and the games they play. Someone who said “I never play video games” was probably a crappy computer guy.
This was a required course for CS in the Univ of Alabama system colleges. At the end of the course we turned in our assignment. The instructor ran my program and told it to read a text file of source code he made, and my program had to parse, tokenize, and implement whatever user defined variables and procedures he coded, including when he called his own methods recursively. (During the course he defined a mock programming language.)
Many senior CS students changed their major because of this one required course that was offered only once per year. I figured the few who made it trough that could handle whatever we threw at them.
dyslexics make the best testers, because they’ll do things that normal folk won’t.
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