Software engineering gets more and more critical as time goes on, and now in 2020, when remote working is essential, digital programs are more necessary than ever! Looking ahead at the rest of 2020, here is a reflection of some of the trends and stats. They will give you a better idea of what’s happening now!
Who – Who’s hiring? Who’s searching?
The companies looking for software engineers aren’t only techies in Silicon Valley anymore. Security is a particularly big software field in companies, with security engineer demand rising by half last year and more than doubling the year before.
Front and backend engineers are in higher demand across all sectors, too, with 17% demand growth in 2019.
The gaming market, in particular, is thriving. Last year, job roles for gaming engineers increased by almost 150% – and growing, in a post-quarantine world.
By far, though, the most significant growth has been in roles created for augmented reality and virtual reality engineers, which grew from 2018 – 2019 by an astounding 1400%!
22% of employed engineers are self-taught, while 50% have a computer science degree.
What – What languages are favored? What areas are important?
JavaScript, Python, and Java are the preferred languages for most engineers, while Ruby, PHP, and Objective C are the least favorite.
Go skills are highly valued in the current job marketplace, and those with them tend to land more interviews.
Go, Scala, Ruby, and Typescript are the most sought after languages by employers.
The top three preferred areas by engineers are machine learning, AR/VR, and user experience.
Salaries have risen almost unilaterally overall top engineering areas.
When – When are the best points for action?
The critical experience point for a software engineer is 4-10 years of experience. After 10 years, the interview request levels drop – though, of course, the level of jobs available increases dramatically.
Nearly ¾ of all engineers believe that AR/VR will be essential skills within the next 5 years.
The number of software developers employed is expected to rise to nearly 28 million by 2023.
Where – Where are the best jobs? Where are the best salaries?
The top engineering jobs cluster in London, UK, Toronto, Canada, and in the US in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco leads the pack in terms of salary.
In 2019, the engineering salary average went up 7% in New York and Toronto, 6% in the SF Bay Area, and a remarkable 13% in London!
In the SF Bay Area, AR/VR engineers can make around $150k annually – and that’s only the average!
Why – Why engineering?
Almost 35% of engineers contribute to open-source software from a sense of fun!
Around 20% of engineers want to use their skills for each of the following: helping combat global warming, helping tackle unemployment and inequality, and improving access to education.
Being challenged and continuing to learn on the job are the most critical factors to an excellent role for more than 80% of engineering job-seekers.
Creative expression is essential to software developers, with close to half claiming it is crucial to make a job look attractive!
Conclusion
As you can see, there’s a lot of statistics that show healthy growth in the industry. Whether you’re an aspiring engineer or you’re a company looking to make your next hire, pay attention to trends to get the best value possible!
