5 technology sectors generating the most jobs in 2018

If the world is concerned about the possibility of widespread unemployment courtesy automation, the one sector with little to worry about is tech. A report by Modis predicts tech employment will witness 12 percent growth by 2024, as against 6.5 percent for all other industries, resulting in 488,500 new jobs. These jobs will not be restricted to traditional technology companies either.

The advent of technology in recent years has resulted in the creation of widespread applications in fields such as finance, FMCG, logistics, medicine, and scientific research, to name a few. This, as a result, has triggered growing demand for professionals who are experts in these technologies. Here are the top five technology sectors that are currently generating the maximum number of jobs:

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is being eagerly adopted by a score of industries. In fields such as manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, advertising, and more, AI is used to increase automation, streamline workflow, optimise logistics, improve customer support management, and even champion social causes.

As the world’s companies look to AI to bolster their business, the demand for AI specialists has more than doubled over the last three years. Furthermore, the demand for AI and machine learning talent is expected to increase by 60 percent in 2018. Despite this, the number of people who are proficient in this field remains woefully low. This, however, means that those who do have experience in Machine Learning and AI, and can implement their skills in even one of the myriad applications of the technology, stand to make a ton of money.

Mobile App Development

Ever since the release of the Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store, mobile app development has been a thriving sector in tech. The need for mobile app developers this year, and in the years that follow, is only set to increase given two main reasons - the ever-growing number of smartphone users in the world, and the mainstream adoption of augmented reality (AR).

Developers proficient in using tools such as Apple’s ARKit and Google’s ARCore to tap the widespread applications of AR — from games and utilities to marketing and social media — are already in high demand. With estimates suggesting there will be 2.5 billion smartphone users in 2018, and with the active involvement of Silicon Valley bigwigs in AR, the prospect of mobile app developers looks promising in coming years.

Data Science

Data processing, analysis, and visualisation is already a key component for many of the world’s businesses today. But the need to do these things faster and better is still a challenge for the sector as it tries to keep pace with other advancing technologies like Internet of Things and Machine Learning.

The amount of data, both structured and unstructured, being generated today is increasing exponentially. As a result, data scientists have become some of the most sought-after professionals in the market. And it’s not only data science, but data engineering (building the tools for analysts) and data visualisation (turning the data in a visual form for mainstream understanding) that are witnessing a massive surge in demand for skilled workers.

Cybersecurity

A spate of cyber attacks in 2017 exposed the critical vulnerabilities of some of the world’s largest insurance firms, media conglomerates, and social media companies.

Businesses the world over have recognised the critical need to secure their customers’, and their own, data. As such, knowledge and expertise of databases, networks, and encryption has become one of the most sought-after skill sets for the tech industry today. However, the substantial number of certifications required to specialise in a cybersecurity niche means there is a dire shortage of prospective employees who fit the bill.

A Cybersecurity Ventures report predicts that cybercrime will cost the world over $6 trillion annually by 2021 — which means that even if you do end up spending a few years to develop your skills in this field, you are certain to find employment without trouble.

Cloud Computing

The mass adoption of cloud solutions has sparked a hiring boom in the cloud computing sector. With enterprises scrambling to capitalise on the cloud-based solutions offered by the likes of AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, the demand for tech professionals with an expertise in cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) is predicted to rise radically in the coming years.

A Forrester report predicts that in 2018 alone, over half of the global enterprises will rely on at least one public cloud platform for their business operations. And with AWS, Google, and Microsoft expected to capture 76 percent of the cloud platform revenue in 2018 (rising to 80 percent in 2020), professionals with certifications for these platforms are in for a promising career.

The number of positions in these specialised tech sectors is expected to increase exponentially in coming years. While these may be the top ones, Blockchain experts, full stack developers, web architects and DevOps engineers are also among the most highly sought after tech professionals this year.