It’s Boomtime for Data Science

There could be 150 million new technology jobs globally in the next five years, and data professionals shall rule the roost

As most businesses moved online during the pandemic, it impacted the skills organizations were hiring. Some of the top jobs, as per a LinkedIn survey, continues to be in data science. Organizations big and small need experts who can make sense of the data and learn from it. The pandemic may have made some businesses lean more heavily on data scientists as they navigated an increasingly uncertain world. Hiring for these roles grew nearly 46% in 2020 compared to 2019 with a salary range of between US$100,000 – US$130,000 annually for data scientists.

LinkedIn predicts that there will be 150 million new technology jobs globally in the next five years, and data scientist and data engineer roles in the US are growing by 35% annually. Demand for artificial intelligence (AI) skills was booming well before the pandemic hit the world. Coronavirus didn’t slow down the field’s growth either.

Many companies looked to AI to keep up with increased demand during the pandemic. Others investigated AI to safeguard their business from future disruptions, too. Hiring in this area grew 32% between 2019 and 2020. Machine learning engineer, AI specialist were some of the top job titles in this space with salary range hovering between US$124,000 – US$150,000 per annum.

Most business and casual interactions moved online during the height of the pandemic. The technology that enables these conversations require highly specialized people to create it and keep it running. Hiring for these engineering roles grew nearly 25% between 2019 and 2020. Fortunately for people in this field, many can also work from home. Top job titles included Web Developer, Full Stack Engineer, Frontend Developer, Game Developer. Salary ranged between US$ 77,000 to US$100,000.

Among soft skills, creativity, communication, and critical thinking continued to be the three-Cs that dominate the list in every job and career survey. As technology advances and more jobs get automated, these human-skills will be in high demand. This will be a time of change and growth, and that means having creativity can put you in the driver’s seat for finding solutions and new ideas that move the needle for your company. Resilience goes hand in hand with creativity. Sometimes new ideas don’t work right away — or at all — and being able to rebound from a setback with improvements and new ideas shows employers that you will keep their company moving forward.

Knowledge of social media, not just knowing how to post, but using it to develop business, engage with customers, and enhance your personal brand equity has become an essential survival skill as the world has moved online. Digital media is clearly running the show these days. If one wants to compete in the job market, he or she needs to at least be cognizant of what’s out there, how it works, and what kind of audience it enjoys. We’re beyond just Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter these days (but don’t neglect them!). While it may be comfortable to stick to what you know and ignore the newcomers, that mindset will leave you and your resume in the dust — especially as we enter the new decade.

Hiring for digital marketing roles grew nearly 33% year-over-year according to LinkedIn. Top roles include Digital Marketing Specialist, Social Media Manager, Marketing Representative, Search Engine Optimization Specialist. Key skills range from Product Marketing, Digital Strategy, to Brand Management. Likewise, demand for digital content creators grew 49% year-over-year for job roles like content coordinator, writing consultant, podcaster, blogger. Skills required are video editing, creative writing, public speaking.

India which has an 82% YouTube penetration rate, is witnessing an explosive demand in digital content producers, and the United Arab Emirates, has experienced 197% growth in the hiring of digital content freelancers over the past year, according to World Economic Forum.

Remote working will also alter the way organizations look at staffing. It will democratize opportunity for employees who may not be based in major urban hubs and opening up access to fresh talent for employers. Most organizations are evaluating job roles based on whether those can be performed remotely or not. This will open up opportunities for talent who live away from tier-1 cities and at the same time help organizations to be location-agnostic.