76% of Top 100 in demand jobs are tied to emerging technologies
In a recent report by online staffing firm Upwork, technology-related skills continue to lead the list of most in-demand jobs in the U.S. Demand for the top 100 skills grew more than 45% year over year in the third quarter with the top 10 growing by more than 260%. Rankings were based on year-over-year growth rates in freelancer billings for the third quarter of 2019.
The top two rankings were held by “.NET Core,” an open-source development platform maintained by Microsoft and TypeScript, an open source programming language developed by Microsoft. Other leading skills are related to network security, online and mobile development and cloud computing. Together, technology jobs represented 76 of the top 100. Non-technology skills were related to a variety of positions ranging from bank reconciliation to romance writing.
Upwork’s report noted the average hourly rate for the top 100 skills in the third quarter was $43.72. That’s higher than the $28 median hourly rate overall for freelancers providing skilled services. However, the average hourly rate varies greatly across the top 100 skills. The International Information System Security Certification Consortium, or (ISC)², a non-profit organization which specializes in training and certifications for cybersecurity professionals, estimates that the average North American salary for cybersecurity professionals is $90,000; those holding security certifications have an average salary of $93,000 while those without earn $76,500 on average. The organization reports that the US cybersecurity workforce needs to grow by 62% to close the skills gap. It estimates the US currently has 804,700 cybersecurity professionals, but the country needs 498,480 more.
Implications for Workforce Planning
Access to critical skills is essential to the effective operation and continued growth of any business. To secure talented resources with high demand skills, nextSource suggests a four-step approach.
- Consider options for obtaining these skills. Would opening the position to a variety of worker types (e.g., agency contractor, independent consultant, permanent employee) increase the talent pool? What would be the return on investment of each?
- Use industry-leading tools to consider supply and demand. Would the amount of available talent increase by changing where the work would be conducted?
- Expand the ways in which you advertise positions and search for talent.
- Use market-driven data from multiple sources to determine the market rates for the position and work location.
To learn more about how nextSource can help you connect with exceptional talent, contact us at marketing@nextsource.com.