The global IT market is one of the fastest-growing industries worldwide, with an estimated compound annual growth rate of up to 11%. The industry is rapidly developing on all the continents of the world, with North America and Europe currently leading the market. On the other hand, rapid development is associated with constant change — both in technologies used and careers in the highest demand.
The last few years in the market were characterized by a growing need for big data analysis and machine learning, and it looks like this trend will persist in 2024. But of course, the IT industry is too vast to be limited to these two areas. So, we decided to analyze factual demand through our internal database recruiters use when looking for candidates.
The data below is based on the factual search history made over the SignalHire contact database in the fall of 2023, so it may differ somewhat from the information presented on other statistical resources. Still, our platform features 670M+ professional profiles and 200,000+ users — primarily recruiters and marketers. So, our search history is a very good indicator of factual developments in the digital and IT recruiting landscape.
Table of Contents:
And here are the top ten in-demand IT jobs worldwide, based on our data from late 2023.
1. Software Developer
Median salary: $112,655
Typical required technical skills: relevant programming languages (C++, HTML, JavaScript, etc.), data structure and algorithm skills, testing and debugging skills.
Software development is a very fast field that includes different professional areas, from frontend and backend to full-stack development of various software programs and applications. The required skills and technologies will largely depend on the specialization area, but the overall projected job growth rate before the end of this decade stands at an impressive 25%, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Based on our research, software developers rank first on the total amount of searches for new job openings in the IT industry — while software engineers, another profession that falls under the same category, also ranks first on the list of most trending jobs in the USA.
The global career situation is very similar, with the annual job growth rate for software developers standing at 20%, without consideration of the actual location.
2. Data Scientist
Median salary: $156,942
Typical required technical skills: relevant programming languages (Python, SQL, etc.), statistical analysis, data mining, machine learning, and AI.
Another occupation that has way higher than average growth rates in the US — BLS projects a 35% increase in the total number of jobs by 2032. Canada, Australia, the UK, and Germany follow closely behind the US with market demand for data scientists.
Similarly to software development on the whole, data science can require different skills depending on the employer, but a thorough understating of SQL framework is an absolute must in this field.
3. Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Median salary: $350,725, $337,363
Typical required technical skills: cybersecurity, data and analytics, project management, IT infrastructure, and asset management.
These two positions are a draw for the third spot in our rating of the most in-demand IT jobs. No doubt, CIO and CTO deal with slightly different aspects — CIOs are primarily responsible for internal technologies that ensure corporate efficiency, while CTOs usually ensure that the company’s developed products meet client requirements.
Still, despite differences in job responsibilities, both CIOs and CTOs need similar technical skills and educational backgrounds for a successful career. The compensation ranges are similar, too, and the projected job growth in the IT top executive niche stands at 3%, according to the BLS.
4. IT Manager
Median salary: $125,985
Typical required technical skills: technical proficiency in relevant frameworks and programming languages, project management, strategic thinking, and communication.
The job growth for IT managers may not be as impressive as the demand for data scientists and software developers, but according to the BLS, it has remained at a steady 5% for years, and some other US sources estimate the job growth potential at over 15%.
In any case, administrative IT positions are less prone to market fluctuations, which explains the relatively stable growth in this niche. The essential skills and educational requirements in this field vary greatly and are largely determined by the employer and project span. Still, professionals with at least a BS degree and previous job experience in programming have the best chances of finding employment in this field — especially when their technical knowledge comes with advanced soft and communication skills.
5. Project Manager
Median salary: $99,700
Typical required technical skills: understanding of relevant frameworks and programming languages, data analysis, resource management, risk management, and quality control.
BLS projects very similar growth estimates on IT and project managers. The job opportunities for PMs are expected to increase by 6% before 2032, which is higher than the average growth estimate across all industries. When analyzing the IT industry alone, this figure shows a steady, relatively unchanged growth, which is not surprising — the growing demand for new software products is directly related to the demand, if not equally high, for administrative personnel.
The job requirements for project managers can also differ depending on the employer, but soft skills are usually more important than hard ones. Often, a sufficient understanding of relevant frameworks and languages, combined with the necessary people skills, makes non-technical graduates perfectly suitable for the PM position.
6. System Administrator
Median salary: $90,301
Typical required technical skills: relevant scripting languages, hardware, coding and networking, cloud computing, and automation.
BLS estimates the projected growth rates for network and computer systems administrators at an average of 2% if analyzed across all industries. Yet, the analysis of the IT industry separately shows that the global demand for systems administration management tools stands at 9.2%, which indirectly implies that system administrators have good employment chances in the industry.
Besides, system administrators can work across different industries, from manufacturing and construction to retail and e-commerce. This is probably the best feature of this career path, which will remain in demand for as long as businesses rely on computer networks.
7. Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
Median salary: $312,810
Typical required technical skills: security architecture, systems security, budget and fiscal management, and business process analysis.
Data breaches are a common problem worldwide, which predictably creates demand for information security officers. Similar to systems administrators, security specialists are required in practically all industries, with 98% of all web applications vulnerable to cyber attacks. The majority of breaches happen because of coding flaws, so CISOs will have plenty of employment possibilities both when it comes to revising the code quality and overseeing corporate security policies.
In the US alone, projected job growth for information security analysts exceeds 30%, whereas the demand for chief executives stands at around 3%. So, one can safely assume that factual demand for CISOs will fall somewhere in between these two extremes.
8. Business Analyst
Median salary: $93,446
Typical required technical skills: data analysis, process modeling, SQL, and documentation software.
The projected job growth rate for business analysts in the US is 10%, which is much faster than average. The global market situation is very similar, with business intelligence analysts in high demand worldwide, as per The Future of Jobs Report for 2023. The trend is likely to continue in 2024 and beyond because machine learning and automation, as it is today, cannot solve the need for human analysis and prediction.
Technically, business analysts can work in different industries, but based on our study, IT will offer qualified experts a lot of job opportunities in the next few years.
9. Data Analyst
Median salary: $82,245
Typical required technical skills: SQL, XML, JavaSript, or related frameworks; Excel, SPSS, SAS, or any other reporting software.
Technically, data analysts fall under the larger data science category (35% growth rates according to BLS). However, data analysis is a narrower area that primarily has to do with routine reporting, so the actual job opportunities in this field may emerge at a slower rate. The global data analysis market is estimated to grow by over 24% before the end of this decade, with North America and Europe predictably in the lead.
10. Data Engineer
Median salary: $125,430
Typical required technical skills: relevant programming languages, coding, data warehousing, machine learning, ETL tools, and data pipelines.
Data engineers may rank last on our top-ten in-demand list of IT jobs, but the projected job growth for all data-related jobs is still very impressive. While the demand for data scientists, a rather broad term that includes several occupations, exceeds 30%, according to BLS, the same Bureau estimates job growth for data engineers and architects at over 5%.
Considering that data engineering is a more narrow field that has to do with the construction and maintenance of data infrastructures, this is a very good growth projectile that promises steady market development and solid career prospects.
Methodology
This analysis presents data taken from SignalHire’s internal database. The service collects and stores contact information that can be searched by specific industry, job title, skillset, location, and many other customizable parameters. The data above is based on all the factual searches registered SignalHire users made from September 2023 to November 2023 (inclusive).
First, the analysis pulled all search history made over the database during this period and then — separated searches belonging to the IT category. From this list, ten positions with the highest number of total searches were sorted out, ranking from highest to lowest.
Additional information about median salaries was taken from Glassdoor — a platform that allows employees to anonymously review their employers and publish information about their de facto earnings. The salary ranges are taken from the USA area and may differ from European or Asian wages.
Information about required technical skills was also taken from the SignalHire database and compared with a few other public job boards for higher accuracy.
Conclusion
This study analyzes the most in-demand careers in the IT industry and is based solely on the search data taken from a professional contact database used primarily by recruiters and marketers. So, even though this information may differ from data available on other statistical resources, it gives a good picture of the recruiting landscape worldwide. The above list shows which candidates are in the highest demand by recruiters and is filtered in to show searches related to the IT industry specifically.
Besides, the obtained insights align well with the global IT industry development. The demand for data analysts and qualified developers shows higher than average annual growth rates, which is supported by the BLS estimates and other respectable resources. At the same time, employers are also interested in tech-savvy managers to monitor the growing IT teams.
All in all, the statistical data in this article is skewered towards North American industry, but without the consideration of factual salaries, the same developments are applicable to other dominant IT markets that include Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle East & Africa — in this particular order. So far, one thing is certain — talented IT professionals will have plenty of career opportunities in the years to come, especially if they find the right balance of hard tech skills and soft skills necessary for administrative or executive positions.
