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As an IT professional, you may work in a wide array of fields and could be involved in programming, hardware, business tools, or data management, to name just a few. When applying for IT jobs, it’s vital to understand which technical and soft skills are essential to possess so you can shine through during interviews. Knowing more about the top IT skills in demand for 2023 and working to improve them can help you create a positive first impression on your potential employers during an interview.
In this post, we will talk about the top five IT skills we believe are needed for jobs in the IT sector for 2023 and even beyond. However, it’s important to remember that top IT skills in demand depend on multiple factors. Defining the role a company is looking to hire for, and knowing the ideal candidate persona, the specific IT skills the role demands, the company’s hierarchy, and where they want to position the new recruit (say, C-suite, mid-level, or entry-level) are all important considerations to decide which IT skills the potential candidates should possess.
For example, if a company is recruiting an IT professional for a customer-facing role, the ideal candidate will be someone who has the requisite IT skills and possesses good communication skills and the ability to quickly adapt to handle varying situations without losing his/her cool.
Again, with AI making waves in different ways, it has become imperative for candidates to be well-versed in AI and ML tools, especially those related to their field of work. Those who aren’t well-versed with AI or not using it won’t survive, says Juraj Lovas – Founder & Managing Consultant of Neohunter.
AI can be a win-win for both employers and job seekers. For instance, while job seekers can use AI tools to optimise their CVs based on specific data and criteria, employers can use AI to find and shortlist passive and active candidates based on their job title, location, industry, experience, etc.
Employers could even use AI applications to write job descriptions or for the initial interview where candidates have to answer a select set of questions, and their responses are analysed by AI to provide employers with useful insights that facilitate informed decision-making. By using AI for initial interviews, employers could shortlist candidates to call for in-person interviews faster and more efficiently.
Coming back to the matter of the top 5 IT skills in demand for 2023, it’s vital to emphasise that though specific skills you need will depend on the particular job you are applying for, there are certain skills that are required for a majority of jobs across diverse sectors.
Here’s a look at the top 5 in-demand IT skills for 2023:
1. Programming
If you want to work on web applications, software, and/or websites, you should have expertise in programming. Even if you plan to work on automating tasks, you will need to be able to program. Common languages that employers look for in programmers and other IT professionals are:
- Python
- SQL
- Java
- JavaScript
- C++
- C#
- Assembly
- Go
- MATLAB
- Ruby
With various sources reporting the existence of around 250 to 2,500 coding languages, it could be overwhelming for job seekers to decide which ones they should learn and master. Taking a look at the latest IT skills in demand could help.
If you are rattled by the layoffs in the tech industry, especially in high-profile companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Twitter, and Meta, it pays to remember that it’s not all gloom and doom. 375,000+ tech jobs in the United States need to be filled in 2023. This means there are almost 10 times as many vacancies as there have been layoffs. Thus, even the tech professionals who have been laid off have been able to secure a new position fast (within the first three months of unemployment). Moreover, programmers will be needed across the world in various roles and across diverse industries.
Still in doubt about planning a career in the IT sector as a programmer? Know this: Despite 87% of digital leaders anticipating an economic recession, the world’s largest digital leadership survey last year by Nash Squared found that worldwide tech spend is set to rise at its third fastest rate in more than 15 years, as 52% of digital leaders expect their technology budget to rise.
2. Cybersecurity
If you want to get hired as a cybersecurity specialist, you should possess and improve your cybersecurity skills. As a cybersecurity expert, you will work to keep your organisation’s networks, data, and systems safe.
You will be responsible for monitoring present systems for both external and internal threats and assessing the risks posed by any outside services your organisation accesses and uses. Additionally, you will need to troubleshoot problems and find or create solutions for optimal system security.
According to indeed.com, the top 12 cybersecurity skills you must have are:
- Fundamental technological skills
- Programming
- Risk identification and management
- Data management and analysis
- Cloud implementation and management
- Logical reasoning and troubleshooting
- Automation implementation
- Adaptability to learn and implement new technologies
- Access management
- Attack surface management
- Application security and protection
In addition to the above, prospective candidates should also have effective communication skills and the ability to connect with diverse audiences, both in-person and remotely.
With rapid digitisation happening across companies and organisations, a growing emphasis has been laid on digital security. However, there’s a significant cybersecurity skills gap, not just in terms of its size but also in the risk it symbolises.
According to the non-profit cybersecurity network (ISC) 2, there’s an estimated cybersecurity workforce gap of 3.4 million people worldwide. France and Germany in particular have seen their gaps broaden, with estimated shortages standing at 60,859 and 1,04,197 workers respectively.
3. Project Management
If you are good with verbal and written communication, have strong technical skills, and enjoy organisation and leadership, project management could be an excellent career path to aim for. From rock-solid technical knowledge to the ability to recognize issues, set project goals, evaluate risks, handle stakeholder communication, manage responses, and act as the point of contact for any problems, you will need a motley group of skills to thrive as a project manager.
Being a project manager has its perks. Apart from offering you a lot of variety in the workplace, this rewarding career choice also comes with a fat pay packet. Employers today look for multitalented IT professionals and having experience in project management can position you favourably when you are planning to switch jobs or looking for more responsibilities along with better pay.
Not sure why it’s one of the top IT skills in demand for 2023? Because in the absence of technical project managers, organisations will be vulnerable to fines, litigations, and IT projects that don’t get done seamlessly or don’t get done on time and to the client’s specifications and satisfaction.
4. Teamwork
Did you know teamwork is one of the most sought-after skills in the workplace? Multiple studies have found that organisations with an emphasis on teamwork innovate faster, find better solutions to problems, notice mistakes quicker, and achieve higher productivity.
Most employees agree that employee collaboration is necessary for today’s workplaces. Yet, a global survey on workplace collaboration found that 39% of surveyed employees believe that their peers don’t collaborate adequately. The same survey found that 75% of the respondents (or 3 in 4 surveyed employees) rated teamwork and collaboration at work as “very important.”
Image courtesy: Fortune Business Insights
The speedy growth in the use of collaboration software is an indication of how emphasis is increasingly laid on workplace collaboration. The growth in the global team collaboration software market is anticipated to rise from $17.15 billion in 2021 to $40.79 billion in 2028 at a 13.2% CAGR during 2021-2028.
Even worldwide market revenues from collaboration software, which have gone up from almost $7 billion in 2015 to nearly $19 billion in 2021, corroborate the same trend, according to the data from Statista. But that’s not all! It’s forecast that the market revenue from collaboration software will continue increasing, touching about $21 billion in 2026.
Image courtesy: Statista
Teamwork, as Andrew Carnegie said once, is the ability to work together toward a common vision. It’s the ability to direct individual achievement toward organisational objectives.
By improving teamwork, organisations can boost productivity and performance, in addition to enjoying better information access, increased operational efficiency, and much more!
Whatever IT role you are looking to get hired for, teamwork is a soft skill that you must possess to excel in it.
5. Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
IT professionals who can think critically can look at a problem objectively and find an efficient and quick solution, thus reducing costly errors and ensuring that their organisation’s resources are used optimally and wisely. By employing critical thinking, you can identify errors and inconsistencies faster than others, and even connect ideas, which will help you to make informed decisions most often that are the best for the team and the organisation.
In a way, it can be said that critical thinking facilitates efficient problem-solving. This explains why both these skills are among 2023’s top IT skills that employers look for. But what exactly is meant by critical thinking?
Critical thinking is the ability to analyse information neutrally and draw an unbiased, rational conclusion. It also entails collecting information on a specific subject and using deductive reasoning to decide which pieces of information apply to the subject and which don’t.
Critical thinking skills involve a 5-step process, which includes observation, analysis, inference, communication, and problem-solving.
According to indeed.com, the 6 key critical thinking skills employers look for are:
- Analytical thinking
- Good communication
- Creative thinking
- Open-mindedness
- Problem-solving ability
- The ability to ask the right questions
Since time is a valuable resource for most businesses and their C-suite executives as well as managers, IT professionals with critical thinking and problem solving skills are favoured as they are able to make correct decisions without supervision, thus helping to save valuable time.
Wrapping Up
Programming, cybersecurity, project management, teamwork, and critical thinking and problem-solving are the top 5 IT skills in demand for 2023, we believe. Now that you know why these skills can make you skip the line and get into your potential employers’ list of the “preferred candidates to interview,” what steps are you planning to take?
If your organisation is looking to hire IT professionals with these skills but not finding any luck, contact us at InHunt World to speed up your recruitment process right away!
This article was written by Sonali