If you’re building a career in technology, you’re likely not just thinking about the next year or two—you’re trying to plan for the next decade. You wonder what skills will prove the most useful (and lucrative) in the long term, as well as which jobs will see continued growth.
CompTIA’s new State of the Tech Workforce report does its best to show which tech jobs will grow significantly over the next decade. As with most long-term prognostications, there’s as much art as science here. Overall, CompTIA believes that tech employment will grow at roughly twice the rate of overall employment, with a replacement rate of around 7 percent annually (that’s around 412,000 workers, for those keeping track at home), and a total turnover rate (including those who are promoted, leaving a role open) of 37 percent.
That’s all well and good, you say. But which specific tech jobs will enjoy extraordinary growth during that period? That data can help you decide which tech tracks to pursue and which skills to learn. Fortunately, CompTIA has a prediction on that front, too (the percentages below reflect a growth rate above the national occupation growth rate):
Those percentages are very good news for data scientists and cybersecurity specialists, which are complex and vital roles in any organization. A rising tide of cybersecurity threats means a perpetual need for technologists who can defend an organization from malware, social engineering, and more. Data science, meanwhile, tops many employers’ lists of must-have skills; companies big and small now realize that analyzing data for crucial insight can mean the difference between wild success or humiliating failure.
However, the future isn’t limited to those jobs: software developers, QA experts, research scientists, web developers, and many other technologist jobs will—if these estimates are correct—enjoy sizable growth over the long term. Just keep in mind: No matter what career path you pursue, keeping your skills up-to-date is vital—you’ll unlock opportunities now and in the far future.
