Insights

The IT sector has weathered the impact of the coronavirus pandemic better than many and is now set for a rebound. Indeed, the crisis has emphasised the crucial role of IT at the heart of business.

A recent report from Deloitte highlights the continued demand for cloud infrastructure services and an increasing need for communications equipment and services as greater numbers of employees work remotely.

Deloitte also points out that organisations are prioritising setting up resilient and flexible networks and delivering higher levels of security to remote workers.

So while many businesses and organisations are now looking to cut costs, there will be continued investment in IT technology and the crucial IT skills that underpin business stability.

As well as the current impact of increased home working, there are also many long term trends within IT and tech, which are already transforming the ways businesses operate. In particular, data science and Artificial Intelligence are real game changers, creating significant new opportunities as well as challenges.

Skills shortages in these fields and in other emerging areas of IT(such as blockchain) mean that IT recruitment will continue to be highly competitive, with fierce demand for talented, experienced people.

Here are some of the areas of IT where we expect to see a particularly strong demand in recruitment going into 2021.

1. Information security

With a constant stream of ever-changing internet threats, cybersecurity skills will be highly sought.

The trend towards home working has made the challenge yet more complex, as remote working brings new security threats. Information Security Analysts will be in hot demand and Cybersecurity will be a top skill needed in 2021 and well beyond.
 
2. Network architects

With the sudden rise in home working in 2020, many corporate Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)have experienced strain as they were not built to support such a high level of remote working.

With remote working looking set to remain in place for many in 2021, managing and securing networks has become an increasingly imperative task.

As a result, organisations are going to need skilled network architects to ensure networks can cope with the increasing demands placed on them.

According to Robert Half’s 2020 Salary Guide, salaries for systems architects have increased from last year, reflecting the growing demand for individuals with this particular skillset.

3. Cloud computing

Global spend on cloud computing services continues to grow at an explosive rate. With that growth comes demand from businesses for cloud professionals.

A complex mix of cloud services and cloud types is becoming the norm in today’s businesses and cloud computing is unlocking a completely new dimension in software development.

Skills in cloud architecture, integration and DevOps will continue to be in high demand as businesses seek to make the most of the opportunities for new ways of working and new ways to interact with customers.

Meanwhile, as rapid innovation continues within the industry, new kinds of roles are being created as cloud technology expands horizons.

4. Data science

Leveraging the huge amount of data available to businesses and turning it into actionable insights is increasingly seen as an important source of competitive advantage.

Potentially valuable data now comes from multiple sources including website interactions, social media, customer data, market data and Big Data.

Creating systems and algorithms to manage this process effectively is now regarded as a vital challenge for businesses that want to get ahead. As a result, data scientists will continue to be one of the most sought after people in IT.

5. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI has been a buzzword for some years and already impacts many aspects of all our daily lives. However, AI is still only in the early stages of fulfilling its potential.AI continues to evolve all the time and relatively new branches of AI, such as Machine Learning, are developing fast.

Although automation is a divisive topic that is expected to eliminate swathes of jobs overall, automation will also create exciting new jobs – especially in the field of AI.

Jobs will be created in AI architecture, development, testing, support, and many other fields.

As these five trends show, the world of IT and related technologies is fast evolving, opening new opportunities for businesses and candidates alike.

At TalentTide, we see IT as one of the most competitive areas for recruitment and we are excited to be at the forefront of this dynamic industry, helping businesses to grow and giving talented candidates the opportunity to reach their full potential.

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