Current Trends and Job Outlook of IT Careers
IT industry trends continue to evolve rapidly amidst technological advancements, strong global demand, and digital transformation in all sectors. The growth outlook for the IT industry is stronger than ever, with tens of thousands of lucrative IT jobs unfilled nationwide. This illustrates the need for information technology professionals of all experience levels and emphasizes the demand for qualified IT staffing agencies to help find them.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in computer and information technology professions will increase by 13 percent by 2030, with the demand for these employees driven by an escalating need for cloud computing, information security, and big data. The growing number of technology companies and the subsequent high demand for qualified professionals mean IT salaries are flourishing.
A recent report by online job marketplace Hired pegs San Diego, Austin, and Seattle as the cities with the fastest-growing tech salaries. However, the surge in remote work means talent is matriculating across the rest of the United States and IT employees have their pick of affordable places to live.
IT salaries breakdown
IT is a lucrative profession, even for entry-level workers. From there, the earning potential only grows.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary for workers in computer and technology occupations is $91,250. That’s more than double the median annual wage for all occupations, which is $41,950.
IT workers can stretch their salary even further by opting for smaller metropolitan areas that have emerged as tech hubs, like Charlotte, North Carolina, where information technology professionals can land IT jobs that are double and even triple the average salary in the state.
Research by Business.org concludes that the top five best-paying states for tech workers are Washington, California, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Massachusetts. Technology employees in Alabama out-earn their peers in other industries by the highest margin, making an average of 85% more than other occupations in the state.
Information technology job outlook
A recent report from IT and networking company Cisco and market intelligence firm IDC discovered that digital transformation is driving the industry and generating demand for new roles, providing opportunities for people looking to begin or expand their IT career. This particular report projects that more than five million IT jobs will be added by 2027. Therefore, the job outlook for information technology roles is significantly positive.
Using information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, IT jobs with exceptional growth projections include:
- Software developer. These professionals create applications for mobile devices, including Androids and iPhones, and computers. They use an array of programming languages to optimize the functioning of the application. This profession is expected to see a 22 percent growth through 2030.
- Quality analysts. They test software, identify problems with applications or programs, and report defects. This field is also expected to experience growth of 22 percent.
- Information security analyst. They develop and implement security strategies and systems to protect essential information from cyber warfare and computer crime. This field is anticipated to expand by 33 percent.
- Web developer. Web developers not only create and design websites, but they are also responsible for the technical aspects. Web developer jobs are projected to see an increase of 13 percent through 2030.
- Data scientist. These professionals work alongside other IT teams directing the gathering and application of data for a company. They expect to experience growth of 31.4 percent.
- IT manager. They oversee a company’s IT needs; generally supervising IT teams. IT managers help solve IT problems and assess the overall and ongoing IT needs of their company. The growth is projected at 11 percent.
- Database administrator. Projected growth of 8 percent, data administrators organize and manage a company’s data to ensure accuracy and availability. They maintain the software and hardware and help protect data security.
- UI designer. These IT professionals are tasked with making sure software functions smoothly and logically. This field is expected to see a growth of 13 percent.
Other in-demand IT jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, and several other IT industry reports, include:
- Software engineers
- Systems analysts
- Network administrators
- Network engineers
- IT support technician
- Network architects
- Solutions architects
- Data architects
As technology further evolves, current roles are expanded upon, and new positions arise, the IT job market does not appear to be slowing down.
IT industry trends
An average of more than half a million jobs were created each month in 2021, and the latest data at the start of 2022 indicates a job market that continues to be strong. There are more than ten million overall job openings in the United States, and many experts predict that the labor market will normalize in the year ahead after experiencing some wild swings during the height of the pandemic.
The IT job market is competitive, and since technology is a prominent part of a company’s day-to-day operations, attracting and retaining exceptional talent is crucial for the bottom line.
