What Does 2022 Have In Store For Tech Professionals?
Imagine this: One cramped desk. A dingy, dusty, under-the-floor office. A series of decades-old computers to look after.
For years, this was the reality of many tech professionals. Job opportunities were drastically limited to in-house IT support desks with very little socialisation. Now, the future of tech careers is changing - driven by the boom of SaaS, Cloud Computing, and the ever-increasing Internet of Things. Tech professionals can now enjoy remote and flexible working opportunities, participating in vast teams across a staggering variety of industries.
In the UK alone, there are hundreds of unfilled leadership tech positions and many more are expected to enter the market in 2022. No longer is IT support a one or two-man job; tech professionals will need to approach work equipped with strong communication skills. As we look ahead this year, tech professionals should expect software and application projects to take place on a global scale: both matching business expectations but also governmental data compliance rules and regulations.
As the scale of internal tech teams grow, so does competition from tech service providers, with 100 UK-based startups in the second half of 2021 alone . In 2022, we can expect further international investment into our thriving industry - and high competition for available labour.
Industries Demanding Tech Workers
It’s not only tech companies who are in need of talent - many UK industries also have roles to fill. This is because of ongoing integration of technology in the day-to-day life of many businesses. Websites have to be maintained, AI and software need to be taken care of, and even roles in departments like Marketing now require digital and tech proficiency.
As more and more businesses undergo digital transformation, management is quickly discovering that tech-savvy leadership will play an essential part in the future of their company. Some industries (aside from Digital and Tech markets) now demanding tech workers include:
Transportation: Engineers, Service Coordinators, Technicians, and Transport Strategists.
Manufacturing: Technicians, Engineers, Production Administrators, and Data Research.
Retail and eCommerce: Managers, Data Analysts, Sales Advisors, Technologists, Project Managers, Engineers, and Buyers.
Education: Teachers, Maintenance, Technicians, Technologists, and IT Support.
Healthcare: Pharmacists, Technicians, Engineers, IT Support, Consultants, Health and Safety Advisors, Data Analysts, Solution Architects, and Quality Control.
Hospitality and Leisure: Customer Assistants, General Managers, Support, and Project Managers.
Marketing: Technicians, Project Coordinators, Digital Marketing Specialists, Managers, Product Managers, Administration, and Technology Specialists.
In-Demand Tech Roles
Despite vast industry differences, many unfilled tech roles require a lot of the same skills and qualifications - such as software development, data engineers, infrastructure architects and analysts. Business owners want to keep these positions in-house in order to have more control over their human resources, but this isn’t a sustainable future. As the working environments for many tech professionals changes, so do candidate wants and needs.
Entering 2022, we can expect to see more and more workers becoming freelancers, consultants, and casual workers: all so they can gain the perfect work-life balance, negotiate the best prices, and gain greater flexibility.
The Future of Tech Jobs
Before looking at what 2022 has in store for tech professionals, it's important to look at the careers that will actually snowball this year’s trends. Global Universities are currently encouraging applications for UX Design, Robotic Engineering, Data Scientists, and (to no surprise) Cloud Engineers. These jobs are set to influence some of the biggest technology trends that will be present in our market in 2022 and impact more technology careers than those immediately obvious.
UX Design
One trend for 2022, is a new and improved organization focus on end-to-end user experiences, because of new data in 2021 that revealed how important UX is in marketing and sales efforts. Research showed that20% of UK customers will abandon a sale if they are struggling with the user interface - including slow loading, spammy messaging, and difficult-to-navigate shopping baskets. If UX Designers aren’t able to provide UK businesses with vital backend plans to improve interactivity, SaaS demand will drop; negatively impacting a £7.2 billion market and over 2,192 companies. (Digital Marketing Depot).
Robotic Engineering
Almost half (45%) of business leaders that participated in a Deloitte digital survey have placed digital transformation as a top priority for 2022. For many, this means integrating AI and RPA into business processes in order to significantly reduce workloads and pressure on human resources. Robotics Engineers designing efficient workplace solutions will pave the way for new tech professional jobs in many companies, including RPA Management, Digital Strategists, and Data Analysts.
Data Scientists
Data Scientists creating actionable digital and tech strategies for business operations is bound to create thousands of new tech jobs across the UK in 2022. As they analyse data and locate areas of inefficiency and weakness, SaaS integrations will offer cheap but valuable solutions - further feeding attractive job opportunities for tech professionals with skills in IT Support and Maintenance, Cybersecurity, Software Development, and even Product Analysts.
Cloud Engineers
The success of the cloud market in the UK can be attributed to growing business desires to unlock international markets. Cloud Engineers, Developers, and Architects, therefore, will see a huge rise in demand for custom solutions in 2022. Businesses will want the data security promised by private cloud services with the combined flexibility of public servers. Hybrid Cloud will help grow many companies, and, in return, create many jobs for tech professionals
2022 Tech Hiring Trends
In 2022, many tech professionals can expect to be offered new opportunities, and, as a result, many workers will have a promising career path ahead of them in dynamic and rewarding roles. The candidate-driven market will allow professionals to negotiate for increased salaries as well as advanced benefits that improve quality of life.
The changes in tech jobs will create an attractive job market even for non-experienced candidates, with many low-skilled labour forces looking for the freedom a role in tech promises; even willing to enter low (and no pay) internships to get their foot in the door. Businesses facing a shortage in labour should expect to increase training for new entrants (making experience less of a hiring priority) in the market in order to secure experienced staff in the future.
For now, organisations can expect to enter an all-out war for talent in 2022, as 75% of UK business owners are struggling to find ideal candidates for tech roles. (IT Pro Portal). Tech recruitment specialists - like Forward Role - have to step up and design tailored solutions to current hiring problems, offering candidates and clients:
For help expanding your horizons and driving change in your industry through intelligent recruitment, contact us!At Forward Role, you’ll find genuine Marketing, Digital, and Tech experts who care passionately about delivering for their clients and candidates.
If you're a candidate, we'll treat you the way we'd like to be treated when making an important life decision like moving jobs. If you're a client you can expect exceptional delivery and communication as a matter of course.
