AI and data science skills are proliferating across industries as businesses look to improve their … [+]
- Data science is booming and starting to replace legacy engineering roles across U.S. organizations today.
- More than 50% of this year’s list was made up of roles related to engineering or development, with the emerging field of robotics appearing for the first time.
- Blockchain Developer was dropped from the list this year, which LinkedIn says is not surprising given the fluctuating popularity of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
These and many other fascinating insights are from LinkedIn’s 3rd annual 2020 Emerging Jobs Report announced last month on their blog which lists the top 15 emerging jobs in 11 different nations. LinkedIn provides employment forecasts including the fastest-growing jobs, skills needed to excel at them, and the cities and industries where these jobs are located. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom and United States are profiled. All country reports are available here. The LinkedIn 2020 Emerging Jobs Report for the United States is available here in PDF form.
The top 15 emerging jobs include the following:
- Artificial Intelligence Specialist – Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning have both become synonymous with innovation, and LinkedIn data shows that’s more than just buzz. Hiring growth for this role has grown 74% annually in the past 4 years and encompasses a few different titles within the space that all have a very specific set of skills despite being spread across industries, including artificial intelligence and machine learning engineer. According to Indeed, Machine Learning Engineer job openings grew 344% between 2015 to 2018 and have an average base salary of $146,085 according their Best Jobs In The U.S. Study.
- Robotics Engineer – LinkedIn is seeing a 40% annual increase in demand for technical professionals with robotics expertise today. Robotics is an industry on fire according to LinkedIn’s study. UiPath, one of the most popular robotics solutions, was just valued at $7B, and the industry as a whole is projected to continue this upward momentum. Careers in Robotics Engineering can vary greatly between software and hardware roles, and LinkedIn data shows engineers working on both virtual and physical bots are on the rise.
- Data Scientist – LinkedIn is seeing a 37% annual increase in demand for Data Scientists and related technical positions today. Data Science is another field that has topped the LinkedIn Emerging Jobs list for three years running. It’s a specialty that’s continuing to grow significantly across all industries. LinkedIn data indicates some of this growth can likely be attributed to the evolution of previously existing jobs, like Statisticians, and increased emphasis on data in academic research.
- Full Stack Engineer – While not a new job, the rapid pace of change in technology has made full stack developers a valuable asset to any company. Not only is this the second year this role has made the Emerging Jobs list, since 2015 hiring growth for this profession has been 35% every year from a wide range of developer and engineering backgrounds.
- Site Reliability Engineer – LinkedIn is seeing a 34% annual increase in demand for Site Reliability Engineers today. Responsible for ensuring that development and operational processes are running smoothly, the demand for this job will likely continue to rise as long as we’re using technology in our day-to-day lives. As a bonus, the skills required are transferable to many different engineering roles, such as Cloud Engineer or Full Stack Engineer.
- Customer Success Specialist – Also fueled by the growth of technology services that require hands-on support, Customer Success roles are on the upswing according to LinkedIn’s latest emerging jobs report. An earlier report found that job posts on LinkedIn for Customer Success Manager in the U.S. grew 34% in 2018, and 72% of professionals currently in the role are in the Software & IT industry. These professionals typically have a hybrid of soft and hard skills, as they’re responsible for both understanding the technology and managing the customer relationship.
- Sales Development Representative – LinkedIn is seeing a 34% annual increase in demand for professionals with Salesforce technical expertise combined with selling experience. While sales development representative (SDR) has been on the Emerging Jobs list more than once, it’s not because it’s on the cutting edge. The skills needed for the job have remained largely unchanged since 2015–Salesforce know-how and cold-calling still make up a large part of the job. It’s the continued explosive growth of technology services that rely on SDRs to find new customers that keep this job on the list.
- Data Engineer – Data has quickly become every company’s most valuable resource, and they need savvy engineers that can build infrastructure to keep it organized. The hiring growth rate of professionals in this emerging job has increased by nearly 35% since 2015, and industries from Retail to Automotive are snapping up this hard-to-hire talent. Interestingly, Amazon Web Services has emerged as one of the top skills held by Data Engineers, something that didn’t show up in the LinkedIn analysis of professionals who held this role in 2015.
- Behavioral Health Technician – LinkedIn is seeing a 32% annual increase in demand for healthcare professionals in this field today. Increased health insurance coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatment has created this increased demand for Behavioral Health Technicians, many of whom specialize in working with patients who have autism or behavioral disorders and are working with children in school environments. The path to becoming a Behavioral Health Technician is varied, given that training for the role doesn’t require a specific degree, providing an opportunity for professionals from all backgrounds to join this emerging field.
- Cybersecurity Specialist – Projected to be one of the fastest growing areas of IT investment in 2020, LinkedIn is seeing a 30% annual increase in demand for Cybersecurity Specialists and technical professionals with expertise in this area. It’s no secret that cybersecurity is top of mind for every company, something that’s made more apparent by the addition of Cybersecurity Specialist to this year’s Emerging Jobs list. The growth and importance of this role are likely to continue as reports show data breaches have increased more than 50% in 2019 over this time last year. And it looks like Washington is taking note, as a large number of available jobs are in D.C. and the surrounding area.
- Back End Developer – LinkedIn is seeing a 30% annual increase in demand for technical professionals with expertise in Node.js, JavaScript, Amazon Web Services, Git, and MongoDB, the most in-demand skills for Back End Developers today. Back End Developer is another engineering job that’s likely to continue to grow as virtually every company builds a digital property. It’s also a job that can largely be done from anywhere, offering an opportunity for remote work.
- Chief Revenue Officer – LinkedIn is seeing a 28% annual increase in demand for this position today as senior management teams look to add valuable expertise in strategic partnerships, go-to-market strategies and sales management. Having a Chief Revenue Officer is somewhat of a new concept, born out of the need to better understand the roles both sales and marketing play in making a company money. The most successful CROs have a strong intuitive sense of how to orchestrate sales and marketing to drive more deals and close the most valuable opportunities in the pipeline. As the two fields have become more intertwined, having a CRO at the helm to lead the combined strategies of two teams has become increasingly important. Based on LinkedIn data, this role is flourishing today.
- Cloud Engineer – LinkedIn is seeing a 27% annual increase in demand for this position today. Cloud computing changed the game for companies that wanted to build products without needing their own servers, and every year the cloud becomes more integral to every businesses’ operations and IT platforms. Cloud Engineers will likely be a continuing need across the country in all industries for the long-term as more companies adopt an integrated strategy of using existing on-premise systems with cloud platforms.
- JavaScript Developer – LinkedIn is seeing a 25% annual increase in demand for this position today. JavaScript Developer continues to be one of the most in-demand roles in the country, as are the skills associated with it, and JavaScript is among the top five in-demand skills in the software industry overall. Skills required for the job include knowledge of React.js, Node.js, AngularJS, JavaScript, and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).
- Product Owner – – LinkedIn is seeing a 24% annual increase in demand for this position today. Product Owners support the product development process and act in many companies as a Product Manager. Unlike many traditional Product Manager roles, Product Owner doesn’t always require a technical degree as a minimum requirement. Product Owners often have many different tasks and projects they’re responsible for as they are responsible for the success of their product lines in-market. They often do market research, sales training and enablement and have deep expertise with customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation systems. Skills unique to the Product Owner job include Agile Methodologies, Scrum, Product Management, Software Development, and JIRA.
