Jobs, skills that will be in demand in 2022 – Times of India

As more industries adopt tech-driven approaches to grow and succeed, newer and cutting-edge jobs and skills will continue to proliferate across the world.

By Parikshit Markanday, Chief Business Officer – Employability Programs, Times Professional Learning

Technological advancements in business operations have ushered reforms across sectors with the onboarding of several measures to conform to the needs of the digital age. The introduction of technology within several organisations has delayed the expansion plans and the launch of new services due to the lack of experienced, skilled, and talented personnel.

While the technologies like AI, machine learning and data analytics will bring in a paradigm shift to meet the requirements over the next few decades, the pandemic advanced its introduction caused several digital disruptions to help maintain continuity across sectors. These changes led to the demand for several skilled professionals across domains. The rapid advancements made by technology will drive these shifts in the job market.

Businesses have had to pivot and change their operational processes to survive and thrive, necessitating a large chunk of the workforce to upskill and reskill. According to the World Economic Forum, 65 per cent children entering primary school would get employed in jobs, which are unheard of now. Google’s recent decision to launch their new Google Cloud Skills programme that aims to train 40 million people speaks volumes of their initiative to evolve with changing times and get learners to be future-ready to match employability requirements. Hence, upskilling and reskilling will improve employment prospects and those learners who get updated with modern learning will scale up in their career.

To ensure learners are gainfully employed across domains, we enumerate skills that are slated to be in demand in 2022.

Data Science

Data has become the backbone for businesses, and worldwide data is likely to cross 149 zettabytes by 2024 up from just two zettabytes a decade ago. Industries will require trained professionals who can help extract actionable information from these reams of gathered data. Businesses will be increasingly dependent on relevant and valuable insights derived from data to offer a better consumer experience to gain an edge over competitors. Hence, data scientists are poised to be highly sought professionals during the next decade. Currently, skilled professionals are scarce, and organisations are willing to higher salaries to onboard these candidates. Hence, learners aiming for a career as a data scientist must focus on learning computer languages, advanced analytics and hone their statistical and data mining skills.

Machine Learning

A subset of AI – machine learning – has become one of the most desired skills in the technology domain. As companies adopt automation tools to anticipate consumer needs, the demand for machine learning professionals will see a significant uptick. The Wall Street Journal has previously reported that jobs postings for AI professionals in the U.S. almost doubled between November 2020 and March 2021. In essence, data scientists and ML professionals have overlapping roles because both work with massive datasets. While data scientists work to extract valuable insights from vast amounts of data, ML scientists ensure that the models and simulations that data scientists work with are accurate and can correctly analyse mammoth amounts of data in real time. As both these fields intersect, it leads to results that were deemed unthinkable. Professionals who can acquire skill sets in either one of these fields stand to benefit immensely during recruitment.

Full-Stack Coding

Full-stack coders are in great demand among companies as they increasingly look for skilled computer programmers who can work on the front and back end. Full-stack experts essentially work as web developers or engineers; they build user interfaces, liaison with clients during the project planning and are involved in almost every developmental phase of a project. Hence, the demand for such professionals is high. According to employment website Indeed, a full-stack developer’s job was ranked second on the list of Best Jobs of 2020, and its popularity continues to grow due to the increased presence of software and applications in our digitally connected world. Those looking to make a career out of this skill need to have excellent attention to detail with good organisational skills.

As our economies and industries continue to adopt a tech-driven future, these skills will be in demand. Cybersecurity, robotics, cloud computing, blockchain, AR and VR, and allied fields are also on the precipice of a boom. The underlying common thread connecting these trends is that technology-based skills will eventually become a necessity across the board. For instance, all engineers today, whether enrolled in mechanical or civil engineering programmes, are now expected to know to code. The push towards programming is reflected in the New Education Policy 2020 that includes coding as a skill be taught to children in schools.

Employers today gauge candidates’ employability based on their skillsets; this includes baseline skills required for a job role and the additional abilities they bring to the table. For example, an engineer who knows to code can leverage his skills effectively will be highly employable and can contribute across teams.

Educational institutions will need to offer skilling programmes with their degree offering to help the future workforce to upskill and reskill. Times Professional Learning (TPL) offers programmes such as DATA JEDI that covers skills like AI, ML, Data Science and Business Intelligence and Full Stack Web Development course for those looking to enhance their skill sets and increase their professional worth. TPL is committed to industry-specific and lifelong learning that can aid India’s workforce to be better equipped and future-ready.