Top 10 emerging Tech skills in Canada, 2021

Technology is becoming more and more integrated into daily business operations. Did you know that digitally transformed companies are expected to contribute to more than half of global GDP in 2023? With the enhancement and diversification of tech roles, it has become essential for tech enthusiasts to be aware of the most sought-after skills. Employers often cite the technical skills gap as the main reason behind their failure to fill vacancies. While this claim may be debatable, it is still important to note the tech skills and expertise which are most desired by these recruiters.

Using the LinkedIn data on the emerging jobs, we can make an estimate of the ten most sought-after tech skills by Canadian recruiters in 2021.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Last year, AI Specialist was LinkedIn’s Top Emerging Job. This demand will continue to be strong in 2021 especially with AI extending its reach beyond the IT industry. In a post COVID world, companies are striving to harness the potential of innovation and Big Data analytics. Hence, ML and AI will continue to be a well-demanded skill set for this year as well.

Data Science & Engineering

Data Science has also experienced vast growth in the past few years. This popularity can be ascribed to an increased usage of Big Data for business decision-making as well as the evolution of already existing jobs. There is an increased demand for competent engineers who can develop the infrastructure needed to maintain the company’s Data. Data analytics can also make medical care more effective. Hospitals are using Big Data to predict which COVID 19 patients are likely to become severely ill. These approaches reflect how the appetite for Big Data is likely to grow in the future, particularly in view of the pandemic.

Cyber Security

According to Cost of a Data Breach Report 2020, data breaches have a global average total cost of $ 3.86 M and have impacted around 19 million Canadians since 2018. In 2021, cybersecurity budgets are likely to climb higher than even pre-pandemic limits. Cloud adoption will also increase the need for a good cybersecurity skillset as companies will need to ensure cloud data protection.

DevOps and Site Reliability Engineering

DevOps allows for much faster application development and easy maintenance of current deployments. The efficiency provided by this approach has made it a desired skill set for recruiters. The government lockdowns imposed due to the COVID19 pandemic have increased rapid digitization, automation, and cloud adoption. These measures will increase the need for better communication between teams to ensure operational efficiency. Hence, the DevOps market is likely to experience growth in 2021.

Full-Stack Development/Engineering

Full-stack developers need to be competent in different technical solutions to have a better grasp of the complete build of a project. This makes them a valuable resource for any company. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated that the demand for Full stack developers will shoot to around 853 thousand in 2024. Given their past desirability and skillset, we can deduce that Full-stack engineers will continue to be in high demand in 2021.

Robotics

LinkedIn data suggests that the demand for Robotic engineers has increased by around 40% every year since 2015. The growth potential of the robotics industry can be gauged by the mere fact that UiPath, the most successful robotics solution, is valued at around $7 billion. A study conducted by CATAAlliance and Sciencetec in 2018 proved Canada’s potential in becoming a robotics powerhouse. These statistics enable us to understand the appeal of robotic engineering as a lucrative career option for Canadians in 2021.

Customer Success Management

Technological growth has also sky-rocketed the demand for Customer Success Specialists. Companies require professionals who can understand their technology while being able to maintain customer relations. This will be particularly true in the coming year as it has become difficult to manage churn rate and customer retention in a COVID19 environment.

User Experience

With increasing online business interactions, it has become vital for companies to offer a smooth and effortless digital experience to their customers. Furthermore, information overload and shorter attention spans make it more difficult for companies to make an impression on users. This has led to an increased demand for designers who can understand user’s expectations and needs to ensure the optimal customer experience. In 2021, companies are accelerating their digital transformations in response to the pandemic. This will likely make experience designing a highly demanded skill in the future.

JavaScript Development

94.5% of all websites use JavaScript and it is the most popular programming language to this date. This popularity is likely to continue in 2021 as the ability to code in JavaScript languages allows one to develop applications for nearly any platform.

Cloud Computing

According to Global Knowledge 2020 IT Skills and Salary Report, Cloud Skills are highly sought after and are the second-highest IT investment area. Cloud has unlocked new revenue channels by utilizing Future techs such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. IDC estimates, for the coming year, suggests that the IT spending is likely to go down in most areas except Cloud. Cloud investments are likely to experience growth despite the global pandemic.