The world around us is changing. Today, long-term career success depends on your ability to anticipate the future. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the world of tech, where constant innovation combined with new legislation, skills shortages, flexible working models, talent mobility, ED&I and corporate sustainability create constant new challenges for both organisations and individuals to solve. Naturally, these trends fuel the demand for skilled professionals – most notably IT professionals who can design, implement and maintain new technologies in a constantly evolving world of work.

It can be hard to keep pace with change. So, if you’re planning your future IT career path, we’ve compiled this list of tech jobs that we expect to be most sought-after by employers in the future. Some of these jobs already exist and will undergo even faster demand growth in coming years. Others are new roles that will rise to the fore.

Naturally this list will evolve over time, so check back regularly to ensure your upskilling is focused on areas that will futureproof your career and work for your tomorrow.

12 future technology jobs in high demand

1. Blockchain Developer

Blockchain developers are in charge of developing and implementing blockchain-based applications. As more enterprises seek to utilise blockchain technology to guarantee data security and integrity, these specialists will be in growing demand.

With the size of the blockchain technology market expected to grow to over $57 billion by 2025, there are plenty of future opportunities for blockchain developers. The distributed ledger technology that drives the blockchain has been around for over a decade and has already been adapted to various applications from healthcare and agriculture to government, although it only got mainstream attention thanks to the boom of cryptocurrencies.

Blockchain technology will continue to be adopted in a wide range of industries. If you’re looking for a tech career in a cutting-edge field with plenty of future potential, then becoming a blockchain developer may be a perfect choice.

2. UX designer

The need for individuals who can design an appealing and effective user interface has grown significantly as more firms undergo digital transformations and create customer-focused interfaces. The number of UX designers worldwide is expected to grow to 100 million by 2050, highlighting the increasing importance of this discipline.

User experience (UX) designers are responsible for creating a positive user experience for digital products and services. Their work requires them to understand user needs and design interactions that are both simple and satisfying.

3. IoT engineer

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the connectivity between different devices that use the internet. IoT adoption has accelerated across industries in recent years. This is partly due to the development of 5G technology, which provides the bandwidth and low latency needed to support billions of connected devices.

From everyday home automation, such as interconnecting lights, air conditioners and appliances for remote operation, to wearable health monitors and smart cars, IoT’s future looks bright. In fact, the number of connected devices is projected to reach over 30 billion by 2025. Clearly, the current demand for Internet of Things (IoT) engineers dwarfs future requirements. IoT engineers are responsible for the design, development and deployment of IoT systems. With billions of devices already connected to the internet and countless more to come, the demand for qualified professionals who can make these systems work seamlessly will keep growing.

Automotive, manufacturing, logistics and retail are some of the sectors where IoT is having the most impact. In fact, connected automobiles and automated driving are two of the key areas where innovation by IoT engineers is being encouraged and rewarded.

4. Software engineer

Demand is accelerating for software engineers to design and develop bespoke software for new computer systems. Given the increasing rate of digital transformations, demand will continue to swell.

The growing use of big data and IoT has resulted in an ever-growing need for software engineers who understand data analytics and machine learning. Also, as cloud connectivity is increasingly relied upon by organisations, software engineers with cloud computing expertise have an edge in the jobs market. The growth of e-commerce has added to demand for software engineers who are also competent in web development and digital marketing disciplines like SEO (search engine optimisation).

In the future, more organisations will realise the importance of a dedicated software engineering team in remaining competitive in a digital world.

5. Robotics engineer

The vision of a future dominated by robots is gradually becoming more of a reality as companies increasingly automate their processes and rely on robots to carry out tasks that human workers once did. Because of this, the demand for qualified robotics engineers will rapidly rise.

The global market value for robotics is projected to reach over $107 trillion by 2026 (increasing from $39 billion in 2020). This astonishing growth will create strong potential for long-lasting careers in this field.

Cobots (collaborative robots), which are meant to interact with people, are a growing niche within the robotics sector that requires robotics engineers skilled in human-robot interaction. These robots are more like the walking and talking robots we imagine from science fiction, rather than the purely utilitarian robots commonly used today in manufacturing.

The automotive industry is one of the biggest users of robotics technology, with many organisations using robots to build cars and inspect them for defects – not to mention the exploration of robots as drivers. Robotics is also being used in the food industry to automate tasks such as packaging and labelling. Retail is another sector increasingly using robots to carry out tasks such as stocktaking and shelf-stocking.

Robotics engineers can also expect to find future work in industries like defence, aerospace and healthcare. However, as automation becomes more ubiquitous, robotics engineers will soon be able to find employment across nearly every industry sector.

6. Cloud engineer

As the speed and reliability of the internet increases, so too does the dependence of organisations to store, manage and process critical data on the internet. This fuels growing demand for talented cloud engineers who can design, develop and maintain secure cloud solutions that meet an organisation’s needs.

Cloud computing’s global market size is expected to grow to $1.4 trillion by 2026 thanks to the increase in mobile computing, the growth of big data and the increasing need for cloud-based security solutions, among others.

In response, cloud engineers will find their skills in high demand in the years to come.

7. Data scientist

Data is everywhere and in such volume that organisations have access to more information than they know what to do with. Data will remain a top concern for organisations, fuelling continued future demand for dedicated data scientists who can study vast volumes of data and identify opportunities that can improve processes or provide an organisation with a competitive advantage.

Data scientists are becoming more urgently needed across a variety of industries. Banks and financial services companies are increasingly turning to data science to help them make better lending and investment decisions. The healthcare sector is also starting to use data science to improve patient care and reduce costs.

The demand for data scientists has also fuelled a need for talented data engineers who can create working data pipelines for organisations. Data scientists are typically paired with data engineers to create an efficient and robust data analysis team.

8. Machine learning engineer

Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that allows computers to learn from data without being explicitly programmed. Businesses increasingly use machine learning to improve their products and services to deliver ongoing value and respond to user behaviour without needing human oversight.

This has created a significant demand for qualified machine learning engineers who can create bespoke algorithmic models that an organisation can leverage for one or multiple uses.

The global market value for machine learning is expected to reach $1.3 trillion by 20266. IoT is undoubtedly a huge driver behind the growth of machine learning. Connected devices are generating an immense amount of data for organisations that can inform highly profitable business decisions with the right algorithm in place.

With the influx of data only increasing, future job opportunities are expected to remain high.

9. Mobile application developer

Nearly every industry is now using mobile applications to improve operations. For example, mobile applications are being used by retailers to increase sales, by banks to provide better customer service and by healthcare providers to improve patient care.

Now that there are over 6.5 billion smartphone users globally, organisations will continue to increase their investment in mobile applications to gather data from, connect with, and sell to consumers.

This will fuel continued growing demand for talented mobile application developers who can design, develop and deploy mobile applications. Mobile application developers with the right skills will be in high demand across nearly every industry in the years to come.

10. IAM engineer

IAM is a security system that allows organisations to control access to their resources based on the identities of users and groups. As businesses become more digitised, they are increasingly realising the importance of strong IAM systems and are turning to IAM engineers to help them design and deploy them.

The global market value for IAM is projected to grow to $50 billion in 2028. Factors driving this growth include the increasing number of cyber attacks and the need for organisations to comply with data protection regulations. This growth will create strong future demand for IAM engineers.

11. DevSecOps engineer

DevSecOps (development, security and operations) is an approach to software development that integrates security considerations from the outset. DevSecOps engineers are responsible for implementing DevSecOps practices in an organisation.

In recent years, the number of data breaches has increased dramatically as hackers become more sophisticated in their attacks. As a result, organisations increasingly realise the importance of implementing DevSecOps practices and are turning to DevSecOps engineers to help them do so.

The international market for DevSecOps is projected to expand to $16.5 billion by 2027. Demand for DevSecOps engineers will therefore increase in the coming years as organisations scramble to ensure their software does not contain vulnerabilities.

12. AppSec engineer

Applications are becoming increasingly important to organisations as more operations operate online. However, research has shown that many organisations still release code with known vulnerabilities, primarily because they were discovered too late in development to counter.

Consequently, demand for talented AppSec engineers is expected to grow. These professionals ensure that mobile and web applications are secure from the outset. They are responsible for identifying and mitigating security risks in applications and designing and implementing security measures to protect them.

AppSec engineers will be in high demand over the coming years to mitigate the risk of  releasing applications that put users’ information at risk.

What future tech jobs appeal to you?

As you can see, there’s no shortage of technology jobs that could provide a successful career. If you’re committed to building a rewarding long-term career, these are the roles that will continue to grow in demand in years to come. Can your career grow along with them?