The most in-demand skills in IT in 2022

We've analyzed the fastest-growing areas and the most promising technologies to master to be in demand in 2022. Below you’ll see mind-blowing and popular trends that are having a strong impact on the IT industry right now. Let's go!

This is the basis for the development of any IT product. That's why there is such a great demand for programmers who know how to create databases, libraries, API integrations and manage all system components. According to business intelligence magazine EBR, backend languages such as JavaScript, Python, PHP, and Java will continue to be relevant in 2022. They all rank at the top of the annual report from Stack Overflow for 2021. Although it's a general survey, it shows that developers are actively using them in their work.

There are other languages as well, but these four are used more often thanks to their advantages: the prevalence of JavaScript, the flexibility of Python, the cross-platform nature of PHP, and the independence of Java.

Various countries offered the following salaries in December 2021 for Backend Developers by language:

It is worth noting that Ruby is not as popular as other languages. But it is often indispensable for quick project creation due to its versatility, flexibility, performance, and ease of use. Ruby is chosen by small startups, which often succeed and turn into giants. For example, Airbnb, GitHub, Aviasales, etc.

Mastery of a particular language and its frameworks is very important in the backend development career. But do not forget about the value of additional knowledge and competencies, which need to be constantly expanded. For example, the combination of Java and SQL is in demand.

If you look more globally, there is a big demand for cloud technology in today's FinTech. This includes financial management, strategic business planning, etc. And if we consider banking, the management of classic software also requires cybersecurity skills: knowledge of legal regulations and security standards, monitoring new ways of hacking applications, finding vulnerabilities, etc.

A report from Stack Overflow showed that JavaScript and HTML/CSS are the most used technologies in 2021 (64.96% and 56.07%). This is the basis for front-end developers: this is the first thing that beginner programmers in this area learn. It is also important to be able to use js frameworks (React, Angular, Vue). Other popular languages include TypeScript, Elm and Swift.

Recently, professionals in this field have been expected to deepen their understanding of current usability and design trends in order to create the most functional and attractive products possible.

Employers were offering high salaries for Frontend Developers in late 2021:

JAMstack (JavaScript, API, & Markup)

The technology makes sites fast, secure and scalable. Over 2020-2021, the number of products built with this stack increased by 50%. According to a recent study by the Jamstack community, more than 30% of programmers create sites that attract millions of visitors.

GraphQL

This is a language for querying and processing API interfaces. The main advantages: flexibility, speed and efficiency. GraphQL server can be created in any language, which makes it extremely versatile.

The State of JavaScript report shows that the popularity of this technology is growing. Thus, in 2016 it was used by only 5% of developers, in 2018 their number increased to 20%, and in 2020 - to 40%. These figures prove that the trend continues to gain momentum, and it will definitely open up from a new side in 2022.
Headless CMS

The CMS market reached $328.5 million in 2019. Investment firm Insight Partners predicts growth to $1,628.6 million by 2027. Some of the top Headless CMS in 2021:

• Strapi
• Agility CMS
• Contentful

Chatbot development and artificial intelligence expansion

The combination of AI and chatbots creates a next-level virtual assistant. This tool will already be used by about 70% of websites in 2022 to collect data, interact with customers, make payments, etc.

Implementation of voice control

The speech recognition market is growing: it's expected to jump from $10.7 billion (2020) to $27.16 billion (2026). About 30% of users use voice search at least once a month. Soon the technology will be actively implemented not only in search engines but also in applications/websites.

The rise in popularity of PWAs and AMPs

Both are aimed at increasing the speed of displayed content. If a site or app takes a long time to load, there's a chance of losing customers (according to a KISSmetrics study, 40% of users don't wait longer than three seconds). No one wants reduced conversions, which will ensure that PWAs and AMPs are even more in demand.

Popularization of serverless architecture

Creating IT products is becoming cheaper, easier and faster with this cloud service model. According to a report from research firm Global Market Insights Inc, the market size was estimated at $7 billion in 2020 and will reach $30 billion in 2027.

More than 4 billion products have already been created for the most common systems - Android and iOS. During the third quarter of 2021 they were installed more than 35 billion times. Total sector returns reached $133 billion last year, an all-time industry record.

The demand for developers of commercial apps and mobile games is growing (almost doubling in 2020-2021). Mobile developers are experiencing a boom and bringing in a lot of money to the sector. Thus, according to the results of the trial between Epic Games and Apple, it was found out that 70% of the App Store income comes from games. Check out our article to learn more about the main news of the gaming industry.

All this inevitably led to an increase in specialists’ salaries. And businesses are willing to pay more to attract rare talents to their teams. In 2021, employers offered the following rewards for Mobile Developers in different countries:

Read more about other changes for mobile programmers in our industry overview.

The mobile industry is constantly evolving and introducing new technologies. In 2022, the following trends will get special development and investment:

Cross-platform software

There is an increasing need for applications that run on any system (Android, iOS, etc.). Tools such as React Native, Flutter, or Xamarin are used for this purpose. If you check out the results of the Stack Overflow survey, only 11.5% of respondents used React Native tools in 2020. In 2021, that number increased to 14.51%.

AR Development

Artificial Intelligence makes augmented reality even more realistic, so AR is increasingly used in advertising, education, tourism, medicine, entertainment, etc. In 2020, the market was valued at $14.7 billion, and by 2026 that number will increase to $88.4 billion.

Using this technology in video games is a particularly promising idea. The release of the mega-popular Pokemon Go by Nintendo and Niantic in 2016 became a turning point in the history of AR development: the game was downloaded more than 1 billion times. This industry will attract millions of players, so developers working in this area have a great chance to become part of interesting projects.

It is also worth paying attention to the rapidly developing high-tech fields, which offer excellent prospects in terms of earning money. Even those who are not related to IT know about them, which shows their scale and importance to all.

Blockchain

The market earned $4.9 billion in 2021 and will reach $67.4 billion by 2026. Strong industry players such as Ethereum, Bitcoin and EOS will continue to develop in 2022. Smart contracts will be increasingly used in a variety of areas (financial market, digital authentication, logistics, accounting, etc.), and employers will be looking for programmers who know specialized languages (e.g., Solidity, Simplicity, Rust), understand the intricacies of various blockchain systems, Web 3.0, DeFi, etc.

At the end of 2021, American companies offered about $9333 per month for such specialists, German employers – €4416, Dutch ones – €5000.

Big Data

According to Statista, total revenues for this market in 2021 will be $64 bln. It is expected to grow to $70 bln. in 2022 and $103 bln. by 2028. We will see if these forecasts come true, but one thing is clear - there will be an increasing demand for Big Data specialists: Big Data Engineers, Analysts, Scientists, etc. Employers in different countries were willing to pay the following salaries for good Big Data programmers in 2021: USA – $7486, Germany – €5073, Netherlands – €4065.

AI

There will be increasing demand for those involved in the development, training, and implementation of AI and neural networks. The market is expanding: it reached $8.02 billion in 2020 and will grow to $38.46 billion by 2027.

Research company Gartner considers AI to be one of the five most promising technologies in 2022. No wonder businesses are willing to pay well for such specialists today. In the U.S., companies offered high salaries for AI Engineers – $9941 per month, in Germany – €7451, and in the Netherlands – €4083 in December 2021.

Cloud-Native

Over the past few years, more and more companies are starting to use cloud technology, including:

• Mobile applications and games (which allows users to save on hardware and increases the audience of game developers)
• Financial systems
• Loaded databases

It is estimated that in 2020 the market earned $371.4 billion, and by 2025 it will soar to $832.1. The big market players - AWS, Google Cloud, Azure - are investing a lot of money in the technology, so there will be a demand for programmers who can implement and support it. In the U.S., companies offer $12,859 per month, in Germany €6262, and in the Netherlands €7073.

The obvious conclusion is that in the next year there will be no decrease in demand for developers who are able to write, maintain, refine and scale code in popular languages. But those specialists who are proficient in related and prospective areas will earn more.

2022 will be an important year in terms of salary offerings and expectations. While employers didn’t always have time to include developer salary increases into their budgets in the past, many will change this in 2022 and better prepare to fight for rare talents.

However, the importance of soft skills should not be forgotten. Companies pay a lot of attention to these basic skills, as they play an important role in creating a cohesive team and directly affect its performance.

If you want to relocate to Europe or get into foreign projects remotely, you also need to improve your English. Employers prefer those who have at least a B2 level and can communicate with the team without problems.

How to be successful in 2022? Learn the most in-demand skills in the IT field. Follow the trends, be passionate about new technologies, and work where you like. Check out the current European offers here.