2022 was an apparent annus horribilis for tech jobs: there were roughly 150,000 layoffs as part of mass downsizing efforts amongst even the sturdiest of global technology players.
And while this was newsworthy – and thus alarming – things are not as bleak as the headlines would suggest. When the layoff stats are broken down, it’s clear that a large number were in business, not hands-on tech, roles.
Despite last year’s setbacks, no other industry, in any country, has grown at the same pace as computer programming. In the UK alone, the number of employees in the industry doubled from 209,000 to 418,000 over the decade to the end of 2021.
A recent hiring trends report shows that there are numerous opportunities in the ever-expanding software development sector. And a study by the technological research and consulting firm Gartner shows that the tech companies that suffered the 10 largest layoff events still employ over 150,000 more people overall than they did at the start of 2020 – before the pandemic.
Excellent market conditions
Not only that, but market conditions today are excellent: starting pay for developers and engineers is 64 per cent above the UK average. According to experts familiar with hiring trends in the sector, the tech talent crunch is far from over.
Demand for certain IT roles is even outstripping supply. Gartner’s research in late 2022 found that 86 per cent of CIOs reported facing more competition to hire good candidates, and that 73 per cent were concerned about attracting IT talent.
However, not all tech jobs are equal. Right now, there are a few core functions that command the top salaries: machine learning, natural language processing and cybersecurity.
In a world in which artificial intelligence is throwing up countless challenges, generative AI specialists are the industry’s dragon-trainers. Within this experimental field, natural language processing (NLP) engineers are in high demand, and commanding the heftiest paychecks.
In fact, in the United States, this job type has seen a 10 per cent rise in starting salaries year on year. The data scientists, prompt engineers and machine learning engineers at the coalface of AI are very well remunerated. Blockchain engineers can also command similarly attractive salaries and benefits.
In-demand roles
Right now, Monzo is hiring a Director of Data Science in its Financial Crime division, with a salary range of £165,000 to £200,000. This role is a great opportunity for someone with many years’ experience in a hands-on role leading data science teams in operations, financial crime or fraud.
The right candidate will be responsible for partnering with senior stakeholders in fincrime to develop evidence-driven solutions to important financial crime problems.
Strategic thinking and experience collaborating with senior business stakeholders are core skills for the role, and your team will include analysts, data scientists, analytics engineers and machine learning engineers. Based in London, the package includes a range of excellent benefits, plus stock options. Apply for this job now.
Developers with specific skills and experience with Ruby On Rails are also a hot commodity. Third Republic in London, Workday in Dublin and Aifinyo AG in Dresden are just three of the dozens of firms that are currently hiring Rails developers across the UK and Europe, and those with this niche skill set can command six-figure salaries.
The trusty backend engineer, however, remains the most in-demand role and the one that HR tech recruiters find the most challenging to fill. Money talks, so salaries in this field are likely to grow throughout the rest of 2023 and beyond.
In Cambridge, HP has a role that teams back-end skills with cyber-security knowledge. It is seeking a Senior Back-end Developer to join the engineering team. You’ll be working on the HP Wolf Security Cloud Service, managing security for end-user PCs.
Preferably, you will have experience working with Python for web applications, and you’ll be familiar with designing scalable web services. Experience in optimising SQL queries and indices is also a plus. If this sounds like a good fit, read more about this role here.
IBM is now recruiting a Full Stack Engineer for its London office. Ideally, you’ll easily be able to analyse, validate and propose improvements to existing failures, with the support of the architect and technical leader. You’ll be a core member of the team, involved in every step from design and development to testing release changes and troubleshooting. You will also be a naturally analytical technical thinker, able to operate and code creative solutions to known problems. Apply for this position here.
Article written by Dara Flynn at Jobbio.
