In Demand Jobs for 2018

Published 08/02/2018

In Demand Jobs for 2018

5 of our specialist technology consultants provide their insight on what will be the in-demand jobs in 2018.

Demand for AI-focused roles simply can’t be met. Talented candidates with skills in Python, C++, OpenCV and TensorFlow will become invaluable and be spoilt for choice. Spanning across healthcare, e-commerce, defence and finance, and from seed-stage start-ups to global corporates – nearly every industry wants to take advantage of advances in AI and ‘big data’.

Leading figures such as Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk predict that every business, regardless of industry or size, will need to adopt AI in order to compete. And, right now, the demand for skilled candidates to fill these roles simply outweighs the supply of talent.

General Motors is spearheading the autonomous vehicle revolution in New York and the need for expert AI specialists (whether machine learning researchers and engineers or computer vision specialists) will only increase. There will also be an exploding level of demand for AI experts in the healthcare industry as businesses apply the technology to predict disease, analyse medical imagery, assist patient care and automate hospital back office functions.

Given the potential, it’s no wonder that the health industry is one of the leading sectors for AI and data. With McKinsey reporting a 3:1 ratio of advertised data science opportunities to qualified candidates, the shortage of experts has never been clearer and I expect the deficit to only increase given the sheer quantity of new businesses moving into the AI space.

 

Everyone will be talking about Blockchain and GDPR

Alex Osei - Principal Consultant, IT Security & Blockchain

“We’re going to see a lot of businesses looking for GDPR analysts, consultants and project managers in the coming months”

 

I anticipate that various implementations of blockchain technology are going to make a big difference in the next year, particularly in the financial sector. It is something that has been on the fringes for a long time but with cryptocurrencies becoming mainstream news in 2017, Blockchain usage is now on the radar for a number of businesses.

Given this landscape, there is a lot of demand for specialists in blockchain development and architecture as well as for engineers with experience in Ethereum development. Inevitably, there is also going to be a huge rush for organisations to come into compliance with the new GDPR regulations when they go live in May 2018 especially considering the 4% revenue penalty. The legislation will be making waves for some time to come, so we are going to see a lot of businesses seeking out GDPR analysts, consultants and project managers in the coming months.

 

Demand for JavaScript expertise will continue to outstrip supply

Alexander Ludwick - JavaScript Recruitment Consultant

“Full stack JavaScript expertise is in high demand – but with relatively few developers in the field, supply and demand are wildly out of proportion”

 

I anticipate that JavaScript will begin to seep its way into large established software houses, displacing more traditional programming languages such as Java or C#. Currently, JavaScript is the start-up fan favourite due to the fact it is open source, it is constantly being updated with new frameworks and it comes with no established infrastructure or legacy code.

Right now, full stack JavaScript expertise is in high demand. However, there are relatively few developers in the field, meaning that supply and demand is wildly out of whack. My advice to undergraduates and developers in their first years in industry would be to spend a year with a company using JavaScript – which should make it easy to find work in future.

 

The 3 DevOps trends in 2018

Jamie Harper - Senior DevOps Consultant

“The high level of demand for experienced DevSecOps engineers will become very clear in the near future”

 

With a series of record-breaking breaches in the headlines, businesses are now investing more into security with demand for DevSecOps engineers and consultants with CISOs remaining strong in 2018.

Cloud migrations are already big business and the growing role of Google Cloud will be a trend to watch out for. Google is definitely going to be a strong competitor for AWS and Azure in this arena. Lastly, organisations using Windows have been given a significant boost with the new possibility of running Linux containers on Windows servers. Whatever your OS of choice, this change points containerisation in an interesting new direction – as does the new landscape of operating system agnostic containers.

 

Retail acceptance of AI will see a rise of chatbot interaction with customers

Dan Pasqua - Principal Consultant, Change and Transformation, Industry and Commerce

“Retailers are constantly looking for ways to better one another, with the aim of driving higher sales and increased internal efficiency”

 

Artificial Intelligence in retail will be reflected in several distinct formats including Virtual Personal Shopping Assistants, Chatbots and Conversational Commerce.

Retailers are constantly looking for ways to better one another, with the aim of driving higher sales and increased internal efficiency – and AI has a lot to offer them. The growth of AI will see a rise in demand for key talent including Data Scientists and Product Owners.

We’re also going to see significant innovations and improvements in the delivery of products. This is an area where the likes of Amazon are taking over, making fulfilment faster and smoother using drones, smart apps and bicycle deliveries, among other initiatives.

Omni-channel will continue to be a big thing in meeting consumer’s buying habits. In today’s market, businesses have to have a unified cross-platform strategy that works irrespective of which channel the customer is using.

That said, coupled with the huge rush to get ahead digitally, I believe we’ll see brick-and-mortar shops making a comeback, with more people seeking out products and services that are seen as being local, artisanal or healthy.