The Tech Skills Checklist: The key competencies in-demand for 2023 and how to hire them

With expedited digital transformation, there is a radical shift in the current job scenario. It has been predicted that college graduates in 2030 will have 85% of jobs that haven’t been invented yet. This indicates the imperative change in job skills, specifically in the technology domain to fulfill the demands of a digitally driven economy.

According to a global survey report – around 74% of IT decision-makers view a shortage of talent with IT skills posing one of the biggest threats to their business. This means – job skills need to evolve and businesses have to invest in reskilling their tech talent. Since the onset of the pandemic, Artificial Intelligence and automation became the key drivers of the economy. Automation replaced manual jobs carried out by humans while AI increasingly augmented abilities.

With that being said, a few major tech giants carried out a second layoff drive, raising questions about the role of humans in the world of work. However, it is unlikely to be completely redundant. Rather, tech and non-tech talent must prioritise developing skills that are in high demand. This will expand the human capabilities to work with technology while applying human touch wherever it is needed.

Data Communication/Visualization

Data communication proves to be a valuable skill to businesses in 2023 as a majority of jobs will involve working directly with data. To enable this job role, every business organization needs people with the skills to interpret, translate and communicate data. The skill involves the ability to communicate data-oriented insights in an effective way. Furthermore, the role of the data communicator also involves the art of data storytelling to communicate the data narrative. In practical terms, it is one of the most sought-after tech skills among organizations where data is central to all business strategies.

Cybersecurity

The onset of the pandemic brought one good change in the world of work – Flexibility. Working from home and remote locations will continue into the upcoming years which means organizations will be more stringent in strengthening their cybersecurity infrastructure. Since the migration of human life into the digital domain, every IT professional is expected to ensure data security and protection. That doesn’t mean that organizations will not require a specialised cybersecurity professional. Young tech talent can pursue cybersecurity as an important tech skill and add it to their resume to make it more marketable and welcoming.

Tech Architect

With the expanding importance of digitalization, businesses need robust technological infrastructure that propels growth in the real world. Traditional businesses threatened by fierce competition from tech-led companies are generating massive demand for tech architects in the industry. Tech Architect is one of the most in-demand IT careers with several prospects to create, maintain and implement IT systems for the growing digital needs of businesses.

API Developer

APIs are taking the world by storm and they stand the test of time. They enable businesses to engage with consumers in digital world by previewing how the products are going to be viewed, purchased and consumed. To create a magical experience with API products, businesses are actively looking for API developers to convert their API aspirations into a practical solution. The upcoming year will generate robust demand for API developers who can build cross-platform applications, focus on front end development, use different coding languages and posses strong API integration knowledge and orchestration skills.

Cloud computing

The reliance on remote and online access is continuing to grow at an unprecedented rate. Cloud computing – the warehouse of data enables users and organizations to access their digital access rather than having physical servers in their offices. This results in reduced overhead costs for IT team that generates huge demand for cloud computing experts for small business and startup ecosystem. Due to cloud computing, there is a reduction of the dependency on physical media i.e. pen drives and other storage devices. As a result, cloud computing is growing rapidly, generating massive demand for skilled IT professionals.

How to hire them

In the present war for talent, acquisition and sourcing both have become critical tasks for recruiters. To ensure the hiring of the right candidate, recruiters can capitalize on diversified and evolving tech hiring platforms powered by various delivery models and AI-powered tools. The AI-backed platforms can help recruiters solve a multitude of problems through talent discovery and ease of interaction and engagement with resources to sync employer’s growth with personal growth.

(The author is Mr. Piyush Raj Akhouri, Co-founder & Business Head, Bridgentech Consulting and the views expressed in this article are his own)