As we look towards the new year, we asked Hays’ James Milligan what the hottest tech jobs will be in 2019.
It’s that time of the year again to reflect on what we have seen in the tech world in the last 12 months and how demand for technology is likely to grow over the next year.
With that in mind, here are what I predict to be the top tech jobs in 2019.
1. Data scientist
We continue to see global demand across a wide variety of sectors as data science permeates organisations. The hottest sectors are life sciences, consulting, insurance, banking, transport and logistics, retail, telecoms, utilities, fast-moving consumer goods, and medtech.
C-level executives understand the value of data and the commercial risk of not investing. Data science strategies include improving the quality and usability of data, and applying techniques such as machine and deep learning to provide insight that drives profitability.
Key programming languages include R, Python and SAS.
2. Cybersecurity analyst
With GDPR legislation implemented in May of this year, major data breaches such as Marriott’s recent breach of 500m customers’ data are a continuing reputational and commercial risk. Organisations continue to invest in this area.
The sectors with highest demand are technology, consulting and banking.
3. Java developer
Java is very popular with large enterprises and we will see sustained demand across all sectors. With the release of Java 9 in late 2017, we have seen increased adoption in 2018 and expect this to continue in to 2019.
4. Full-stack developer
We have seen rising popularity for the full-stack developers, and the most common stacks are:
- LAMP Stack: Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP – popular in enterprise
- MEAN Stack: MongoDB, Express, AngularJS, Node.js – popular with unicorns
- Ruby on Rails: Ruby, SQLite, PHP – popular in start-ups
5. Front-end developer
Front-end developers are responsible for what we see in web applications. As expectations from users continues to focus on a clean experience, organisations continue to invest in this area. There is a high demand across all sectors as digital transformation remains firmly on most organisations’ agendas.
6. DevOps engineer
The trend towards DevOps will accelerate as the divergence between development and IT operations continues. We are seeing this move across all sectors, with hiring managers placing as much focus on soft skills as technical skills for these roles, with customer centricity and problem-solving being most important.
7. App developer
As apps proliferate and act as enablers for business and consumers, demand will continue for those engineers with the ability to create applications across desktop and mobile devices, primarily in Windows, iOS or Android.
8. Cloud architect
As we reach a tipping point with more organisations in the public and private sector migrating to the cloud, we are seeing increased demand for professionals for overseeing this strategy.
The role is broad and may include implementation, application design, management and monitoring. Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure are the two platforms where I expect greatest demand.
9. Digital project manager
Traditional organisations continue to move from an analogue to a digital world, running broad transformation projects to enhance customer experience and take advantage of data science. The demand for professionals who can manage this transition will continue. Exposure to Agile methodologies is a must for those working in this sector.
10. Embedded engineer
With developments in the IoT gathering pace, demand for C and C++ engineers that can tailor that hardware will increase in demand.
The shift to wearables, driverless vehicles, smart cities and smart homes is at the heart of this movement.
James Milligan is a director of UK, Ireland and EMEA at Hays
