A shortage in tech skills sits amidst a backdrop of massive tech investment and acceleration in 2020, largely forced by the rapid shift to remote working caused by the pandemic. IT spending forecasts point to a continued demand for cloud infrastructure services and an increasing need for IT support services as employees continue to work remotely and businesses move online. Here we take a look at some of the top skills in the IT sector.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is the world’s number one IT skill right now. The pandemic has exposed system and infrastructure vulnerabilities for many organisations, especially with more people working from home. A global survey of 4,200 IT leaders by tech recruiter Harvey Nash and KPMG found that four in 10 companies reported a rise in cybersecurity attacks, as workplaces moved from offices to the home. In CWJobs’ annual Confidence Index, more than a third (36%) chose cybersecurity as a specialism needed right now. Cybersecurity Analyst Day Rate: £450-£500

Full Stack Web Development

This is a web developer who is an all-rounder and familiar with both back end and front end technologies. Many employers see contractors with a range of skills, rather than just having expertise in one core area, as a better investment. Particular skillsets that are most in demand include Java, JavaScript and Python. Full Stack Developer Day Rate: £450-£500

Networking

It’s predicted that there will be 50,000 networking jobs created in the UK by 2018. Skills within the networking side of IT are changing all the time, there’s always a new bug to fix or tweaks to be made for improved functionality and the move to home working has made this more urgent. This coincides with the arrival of 5G, which was already ramping up need for core telecommunications. Network Architect Day Rate: £475-£525

Big Data

Businesses want information from a variety of sources organised into neat, manageable packages. This information helps companies understand their customers and their habits, improve products and service-offerings while boosting company performance. Even with tougher regulations on personal data (GDPR), companies will continue to use data to get closer to consumers and analysts who can make sense of big data are a valuable asset. Data Analyst Day Rate: £400-£450

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Although these are still relatively new fields that have yet to be fully integrated into business, organisations are looking to get ahead of the curve. As more companies experiment with the potential uses of AI and ML, there will be a rise in demand for contractors with skills and experience in Natural Language Processing, AI, ML, TensorFlow and chatbot technology. AI Engineer Day Rate: £500-£600

Cloud

As more companies migrate from traditional server environments to the cloud, there’s a growing need for contractors to support cloud infrastructure and engineering. This means a huge increase in the number of Cloud based IT jobs. There’s been a surging demand for AWS skills across the UK and Ireland in the last year. On a more global level, learning platform Pluralsight found AWS was also its fifth most popular skill. Cloud Consultant Day Rate: £550-£600

Tech Support

Technology, no matter how advanced, doesn’t always do what we want it to, meaning that there will always be a need for tech support experts. Organisations will need greater help from IT service providers in the future for procuring devices, setting up resilient and flexible networks and delivering greater levels of security to remote workers. This is one area where you can also work your way through the tech support ranks from entry level so day rates are variable depending on expertise. Technical Support Day Rate: £200-£450

Even if you’re not an IT professional, it’s worth brushing up on your digital skills to help keep your offering relevant. For more information about how Covid-19 will change the future of work you can read our article. Umbrella Exchange have access to a wide range of hassle-free services that can help you with setting up a limited company or finding the right umbrella company for you. To talk to a member of our team, call: 0203 393 3881