The tech industry experienced mass layoffs and budget cuts in 2022 that have many tech workers who were once flying high worried about job security. Despite the gloomy news, however, the labor market for tech talent continues to be strong. While big tech firms are making headlines for drastic cuts, tech talent remains in high demand across other industries.
For example, industries like finance, healthcare, government and automotive, all of which have yet to fully digitally transform, are hiring tech talent. The City of San Francisco—a verifiable tech hub that should, in theory, have unlimited access to tech talent—recently shared that its vacancy rate for IT workers is 21%.
For workers willing to look beyond big tech, well paid opportunities continue to abound. At General Assembly, we help people break into a career in tech so they can increase their wages and land a job with great benefits and working conditions—ultimately, improving their quality of life.
Despite today’s economic landscape, we still believe this is a path to prosperity and that opportunities abound for tech workers. In fact, not having a technical skill set could leave you less secure in your career going forward as everything goes digital.
The top 3 most promising tech careers of 2023
As you look ahead to 2023, whether you’re planning a career change or to brush up on new skills to help future-proof your career, there are three areas that will continue to see strong growth: UX, data and software engineering. As companies across industries increasingly digitize their businesses, they must constantly source talent for these areas, making them safe bets for 2023 and beyond.
Best tech jobs in 2023: UX Designer
Today, every company is a technology company as more interactions with customers go digital. Every bank and automotive company has an app, for example, and e-commerce sales are at an all-time high. This means that user-friendly technology is more important than ever, as customers who may not be as tech savvy need to be able to navigate apps and websites in their daily lives. UX designers are responsible for making these touchpoints as intuitive and accessible as possible, by conducting user research and designing frictionless experiences. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that UX Design will grow 23% by 2031, or much faster than average, adding more than 45,000 new jobs. Additionally UX designers saw a median salary of $78,300 in the US in 2021, and are paid average salaries of £43,253 in the UK, A$93,413 in Australia, and SGD 4,875 (monthly) in Singapore (Source: Glassdoor).
Best tech jobs in 2023: Data Scientist
Even in a recession, companies increasingly rely on data to drive decision making which means data skills can help you future-proof your career. According to Forrester research commissioned by Tableau, 70% of roles will work with data by 2025. However, some data jobs pay better than others. For example, data scientists made a median salary of $100,910 in the US (Source: BLS), an average salary £61,605 in the UK, A$121,000 in Australia, and SGD 18,500 monthly in Singapore (Source: Glassdoor) in 2021 because they know how to run models and interpret them using tools like Python, SQL and SAS. The BLS predicts data scientist jobs in the US will also grow faster than average, at a rate of 36% by 2031, adding 40,500 new roles. Globally, this role is likely to remain in high demand.
While technology and tools have become increasingly effective at collecting and analyzing data, people with a strong grasp of data analysis are critical when it comes to translating analyses into business decisions, and explaining them to stakeholders. This means companies will increasingly need to hire talent who have the skills to speak data, fluently. For example, in addition to technical skills, you might need to explain where the data came from, how it was collected and what actions a business should take based on data-driven insights.
Best tech jobs in 2023: Software Engineer
Another highly-paid tech career that will continue to see strong demand in 2023 is Software Engineering and coding. Like data scientists, software engineers are highly paid (BLS reports a median US salary of $120,730; Glassdoor reports average salaries of £66,727 in the UK, A$123,000 in Australia, SGD 5,550/month in Singapore) and are increasingly needed in industries beyond big tech. For example, local, state and federal governments are recruiting software talent en masse.
According to projections from the BLS, employment for software developers and testers is expected to grow 25 percent, or 411,000 new jobs, making this one of the most in-demand tech skills for 2023.
Go Digital in 2023
While tech job seekers certainly face headwinds in the coming year, the reality is that demand for digital skills is going nowhere. As the world goes increasingly digital-first, gaining new tech skills will help you future-proof your career, regardless of how the job market fluctuates. There’s never been a better time to invest in your most valuable asset: yourself.
Ready to get started? Download the eBook “Landing Work You Love” to begin your career change journey.