Last year shook up a lot of things, and the job market was certainly no exception. While industries like travel and leisure, food service, and hospitality saw millions of jobs disappear, other industries saw a major boom in job opportunities available.
Among the industries to see the most growth was the technology industry.
LinkedIn recently shared their 15 most in demand jobs for 2021, six of which qualify as tech jobs. Not only that, but the single most in demand job in 2021 is a tech job.
To put together this list, LinkedIn analyzed the roles that experienced the highest year-over-year growth between April and October 2020.
They are ranked based on a combination of growth in demand and the raw number of jobs available.
In this article we will take a look at those six jobs, what they tend to entail, and the tools/skills needed to adequately fill those positions. We will also examine other factors such as average pay and the chances of finding a remote job in that area.
What is a Tech Job?
A tech job is any job or position considered to be a part of the technology or information technology arena of work.
Whether or not something is categorized as a tech job is up to the person in charge of hiring for that position, and usually hinges on what that specific job’s responsibilities are.
Top 15 Most In Demand Jobs in 2021
Below are the 15 jobs that LinkedIn considers the be the most in demand jobs for 2021.
It’s no surprise that 2021 is calling for more nurses and healthcare workers, but some of the jobs listed might come as a surprise.
While the top 15 in demand jobs are listed, only the jobs in bold and underlined are ones that would be considered tech jobs.
- Professionals on the frontlines of eCommerce
- Loan and Mortgage Experts
- Health care supporting staff
- Business development and sales professionals
- Experts in Workplace diversity
- Digital marketing professionals
- Nurses
- Education Professionals
- Digital content creators
- Professional and personal coaches
- Specialized engineers
- Mental health specialists
- User Experience (UX) professionals
- Data science specialists
- Artificial intelligence practitioners
Most In Demand Jobs in Technology
As you can see from the list above, several of the jobs listed fall under the tech jobs category. In fact, six of the top 15 jobs that are most in demand meet the criteria of being a technology job, including the number one overall most in demand job in 2021.
We will dive into those six types of jobs, break down the job titles that fall under those umbrellas, and the skills they require. We will also take a look at the top locations hiring for those positions, the typical education requirements needed to secure those jobs, the average salary range one can expect when accepting those positions, as well as their remote work availability.
Frontline eCommerce Workers (#1)
While some of the positions that fall under this job type might not seem specifically technology-related, aspects of several of those positions require a basic grasp of technology or even an advanced understanding of technology and technology systems.
The growth in this area has been tremendous, with roles growing more than 70% year-over-year. That demand isn’t dying off either. There are currently more than 400,000 frontline eCommerce jobs open for the taking.
- Top Job Titles: Driver, Supply Chain Associate, Package Handler, Personal Shopper
- Skills Needed: Time Management, Customer Service, Leadership
- Top Locations Hiring for These Positions: Chicago, New York City, Washington, D.C.
- Typical Employee Education: 75% of hires have a bachelor’s degree or higher
- Average Salary Range: $42,000 – $56,000
- Remote Job Availability: Low
Digital Marketing Professionals (#6)
With so many things closed down last year, 2020 forced us to seek out other forms of entertainment, specifically on the internet. This meant more screen time for businesses to promote and sell their services and products.
With the added opportunity to reach consumers, many businesses sought to hire for positions that focused on targeting those customers. In fact, digital marketing roles saw nearly a 33% growth in year-over-year opportunities.
- Top Job Titles: Digital Marketing Specialist, Social Media Manager, Marketing Representative, Search Engine Optimization Specialist
- Skills Needed: Product Marketing, Digital Strategy, Brand Management
- Top Locations Hiring for These Positions: New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles
- Typical Employee Education: 94% of hires have a bachelor’s degree or higher
- Average Salary Range: $48,000 – $96,000
- Remote Job Availability: Medium
Digital Content Creators (#9)
As we covered above, businesses needed more workers to market their products and services in 2020, and that created a need for even more digital content, as well as people to create that content.
Things like TikTok, YouTube, podcasts, and vlogs all saw a major uptick in traffic, so naturally, more digital content creators were needed to meet the increased demand. Year-over-year, the demand for these roles increased 49%.
- Top Job Titles: Content Coordinator, Writing Consultant, Podcaster, Blogger
- Skills Needed: Video Editing, Creative Writing, Public Speaking
- Top Locations Hiring for These Positions: New York City, Chicago, Atlanta
- Typical Employee Education: 92% of hires have a bachelor’s degree or higher
- Average Salary Range: $46,000 – $62,400
- Remote Job Availability: High
User Experience Professionals (#13)
With more people turning to the internet in 2020, websites and applications became more popular than ever. For those sites and apps to retain users, it is essential that they run smoothly and function correctly.
That is why it’s no surprise that the demand for workers who specialize in how people use and interact with those forms of technology also grew. Up 20% year-over-year, user experience professionals are needed now more than ever.
- Top Job Titles: User Experience Designer, Product Design Consultant, User Interface Designer, User Experience Researcher
- Skills Needed: Web Design, Design Thinking, User Experience Testing
- Top Locations Hiring for These Positions: San Francisco, New York City, Seattle
- Typical Employee Education: 97% of hires have a bachelor’s degree or higher
- Average Salary Range: $80,000 – $103,000
- Remote Job Availability: Medium
Data Science Specialists (#14)
Data is an absolutely integral part of how organizations make informed business decisions, and businesses rely on data science experts to help them make sense of the data so they can make those decisions.
As 2020 introduced more and more uncertainty to global markets, many businesses found an even bigger need for these roles. In fact, the demand for data scientists grew more than 45% year-over-year.
- Top Job Titles: Data Scientist, Data Science Specialist, Data Management Analyst
- Skills Needed: TensorFlow, Statistical Modeling, Data Visualization
- Top Locations Hiring for These Positions: Washington, D.C., San Francisco, New York City
- Typical Employee Education: 98% of hires have a bachelor’s degree or higher
- Average Salary Range: $100,000 – $130,000
- Remote Job Availability: Medium
Artificial Intelligence Practitioners (#15)
While tech jobs in artificial intelligence (AI) were already plentiful before the pandemic, the coronavirus actually created even more opportunities in this field as many companies turned to AI in an attempt to keep up with the times.
Whether businesses sought to automate more systems or safeguard themselves from future obstacles, jobs in AI grew nearly 32% year-over-year.
- Top Job Titles: Machine Learning Engineer, Artificial Intelligence Specialist, Machine Learning Researcher
- Skills Needed: C++, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Python (Programming Language)
Top Locations Hiring for These Positions: San Francisco, New York City, Seattle - Typical Employee Education: 99% of hires have a bachelor’s degree or higher
- Average Salary Range: $124,000 – $150,000
- Remote Job Availability: Low
Now that you know which tech jobs are most in demand, the next step is to find the career path that suits you best.
If you are looking for a tech job or just looking for a great way to jumpstart your career, have you considered working for InMotion Hosting? We are growing every day and have offices in California, Colorado, and Virginia, as well as remote work opportunities.
To find your next career, visit our Employment Page.
For a detailed look at all of the most in demand jobs for this year, check out LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise: 15 opportunities that are in demand and hiring now.
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