The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sharp increase in the demand for technology skills, says James Milligan, Global Head of Technology at Hays, the world’s largest specialist recruiter.
The pandemic has had a profound impact on several industries, including the technology sector. The crisis accelerated the digitalisation of many businesses, as remote working and an increase online activity has meant there has been a greater reliance on technology. This has led to an increase in demand for certain IT roles, as they have been integral to organisation being able to adapt and be agile to this change.
James Milligan recently shared what the most sought-after profiles have been during the crisis and the skills that will be needed for the future.
List of technology roles in demand:
- Cloud Architects and Engineers (across Amazon Web Services, Azure, Google Cloud and the Office 365 suite for Teams)
- Cyber Security professionals
- Data Analysts
- Data Scientists
- Machine Learning professionals
- UI/UX specialists
- Application Developers
- Project Managers
- Change Management specialists
James said, “When lockdown first hit, businesses worked at breakneck speed to ensure entire workforces could work well from home, thus Cloud Architects and Engineers (across Amazon Web Services, Azure, Google Cloud and the Office 365 suite for Teams) were in the greatest demand across both contract and perm roles, as they were crucial in facilitating this change.”
There has also been a rise in demand for cyber security professionals, as the number of people accessing systems remotely has increased the potential for companies to be at risk of cybercrime. New technologies which had seen a rise in popularity since the beginning of the pandemic, such as Zoom, have also sought to protect themselves from any potential attacks.
James commented, “Cyber security professionals and the cyber security industry as a whole, saw a surge in demand as businesses wanted to make sure their new models now in place were robust enough to deal with any new threats.”
James continued, “After the initial business needs were appeased during the first stages of the pandemic, businesses and public bodies then started thinking about how they could operate successfully under COVID-19 conditions. They were in need of Data Analysts, Data Scientists and Machine Learning experts to model the impact of the pandemic in their respective fields.”
The number of roles within MedTech saw huge growth, as countries developed COVID-tracking apps and began to understand the impact the pandemic may have on local hospitals or health services. Private businesses, like insurance companies, also saw the need to recruit these specialists, to understand the impact COVID would have on their customers’ risk profiles.
The pandemic has led to changes in how people shop and access services, which has meant many businesses have had to adapt the way they interact with customers. This in turn led to an increase in demand for tech specialists as entire business models changed and organisations further digitised their services. As a result, businesses started hiring developers to build applications and UI/UX specialists to upgrade or build new e-commerce structures to sell from.
Changing business models were not limited to high street shops, the health and leisure industry also had to adapt to ensure they could opportunity in some way during lockdown and later under strict guidelines.
James commented; “The health and leisure space also saw a big adaptation, as Health Tech developments enabled gyms and other leisure activities to move online and into apps, adapting to the needs of their customers throughout lockdowns, and now into app-based classes and booking capabilities for the reopening of these facilities.”
Organisations around the world quickly adapted to the challenges of country-wide lockdowns, making the necessary alterations to their operating models in the short-term to react to the changing environments, as the world continues to emerge from the pandemic businesses will start to look toward the future to assess the skills they need.
James said, “Businesses are starting to take a more proactive look at their futures, and need the help of Project Managers, Change Management specialists and those with experience in Agile Methodologies to assist them with this transition, as well as Developers to build the digital applications required by their employees and customers.”
James continued, “Employers are also taking the time now to proactively review the actions they took during the early stages of the pandemic, including improving and enhancing their remote working systems. After all, it’s looking increasingly likely that a higher proportion of remote or hybrid working will be a key element of the new era of work.”
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Contact name: Jonathan Beasley
Contact job title: Group Communications Manager
Contact email address: [email protected]
About Hays
Hays plc (the "Group") is a leading global professional recruiting group. The Group is the expert at recruiting qualified, professional and skilled people worldwide, being the market leader in the UK and Australia and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe, Latin America and Asia. The Group operates across the private and public sectors, dealing in permanent positions, contract roles and temporary assignments. As at 30 June 2020 the Group employed c.10,400 staff operating from 266 offices in 33 countries across 20 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2020:
– the Group reported net fees of £996.2 million and operating profit (pre-exceptional items) of £135.0 million;
– the Group placed around 66,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 235,000 people into temporary roles;
– 17% of Group net fees were generated in Australia & New Zealand, 26% in Germany, 23% in United Kingdom & Ireland and 34% in Rest of World (RoW);
– the temporary placement business represented 59% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 41% of net fees;
– IT is the Group’s largest specialism, with 25% of net fees, while Accountancy & Finance (15%) and Construction & Property (12%), are the next largest
– Hays operates in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the USA