Employment opportunities quickly became scarce with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the third quarter of 2020 saw an increase in job postings. This marked the beginning of society’s slow transition into economic stability.
Last year, the majority of businesses were forced to cut employees, decrease hours and production, and even close permanently. 2021 has seen the emergence of a COVID-19 vaccine as well as an increase in open positions. In-person jobs are on the rise again, but the desire for remote jobs has remained the same.
Tech companies pushed jobs for senior management starting around September 2020. While those positions are still being filled—and relatively quickly—mid-level jobs have popped up. Unemployment rates in IT fields dropped around September also.
The Hire Race
As industries began to rapidly hire people, data was studied regarding where the highest numbers of hires were occurring. Tech hiring toward the end of 2020 revealed California stood at the top of the list, most job postings located in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Texas, Florida, Virginia, and New York joined it as the top five states posting jobs. Postings for tech jobs saw San Francisco and New York City at the head of the top cities with open positions.
Studies on corporations posting the highest number of jobs in the tech industry indicated Amazon took first place. Other notable companies included T-Mobile and Oracle.
In-Demand Tech Positions
Remote availability takes up much of the open postings in the tech industry. Software development became the specific type of job that was most in demand. A need for project managers, senior developers, and mid-level developers commonly appeared on job sites and ads. Positions for tech support were also highly sought-after, along with any jobs surrounding cybersecurity.
Top Tech Skills
The use of software like Python, JavaScript, and Java became incredibly important. Cybersecurity and technological advances kept these skills in constant demand since before the pandemic. They continue to be crucial to the tech industry. SQL experience played a more subtle, but still significant, role.
The unexpected emergence and reliance of a program known as Kotlin provided new job opportunities as well. Kotlin’s purpose is to fix the main issues in Java. This up-and-coming programming language has now been backed by Google for its exceptional use of Android app developments.
Programming languages are the backbone of nearly every element of technology. Jobs associated with them can be performed remotely, which is convenient for employers and their employees. The remote accessibility these jobs create means employers can hire people from all over the world. This gives them varying degrees of talented and experienced individuals to choose from.
The Future
While remote jobs still dominate the workplace, in-person positions are also becoming more available with the spread of vaccines for COVID-19. The tech industry, however, is likely to continue standing as one of the most in-demand industries in the world. Society has been ever-reliant on technology for decades and the constant desire for jobs in technology-related fields shows no sign of slowing down.
