In the midst of such a severe talent shortage, companies are under a tremendous amount of pressure to acquire qualified personnel. Competition is raging, especially in IT where 81% of North American IT departments report being affected by the current skills gap that continues to widen. Further compounding the matter, candidates hold most of the cards in the hiring process, picking and choosing where their career goes next free from free the restraints of a struggling economy.

It's more important than ever for employers to be outfitted with top-of-the-line talent who possess the most valuable, future-forward skills in an ever-changing and evolving tech landscape.

We've identified five of the most desirable skills companies are targeting in the IT market today.

1. Cloud Computing

We've come a long way from when all business got done on paper. Cloud computing has simply taken over, and it's not slowing down anytime soon. IT authority Oracle projects that by 2025, approximately 80% of IT spending will be dedicated to cloud-based services.

In a recent study conducted by Flexera, 786 IT professionals representing companies with more than 1,000 employees participated in a survey to identify the top cloud computing trends. The results showed that organizations leverage nearly five cloud services on average, and the number one priority of 2019 was cloud cost optimization.

Iaas, Paas, and Saas usage and market share continue to skyrocket, and the overall public cloud services market is projected to grow 17.3% by the end of this year alone. This rampant growth, combined with a general talent shortage, makes IT professionals with cloud engineering skills and certifications especially desirable.

2. Machine Learning

There are few fields more cutting-edge and exciting than machine learning. With the steady rise of artificial intelligence implementation across a wide variety of sectors, machine learning engineers are becoming increasingly sought-after.

More than just the flashier usages, like self-driving cars, though, machine learning has a wealth of every day uses. With most IT professionals reporting that their workloads continue to increase year over year, the need for artificial intelligence and automation to take on the more time-consuming tasks to focus on more pressing, strategical concerns rises. The International Data Corporation (IDC) reports that spending on artificial intelligence and machine learning is expected to increase from $12 billion in 2017 to $57.6 billion in 2021.

3. App Developer

There are currently about 5 billion mobile users worldwide and in 2018 alone there were a whopping 194 billion app downloads (up from 178 billion in 2017).

With its bubble far from bursting, the demand for app developers continues to be markedly high. As the above numbers are only expected to increase, companies are increasingly exploring app development as its no longer enough to simply have just storefronts, offices, and websites. As a result, app developer jobs are expected to grow a staggering 31% by 2026.

4. Cybersecurity

It's hardly necessary to mention at this point that information security continues to be a primary focus for organizations industry-wide. Data breaches exposed over 4 billion records through almost 4,000 attacks in the first six months of 2019 alone. Hackers and cybercriminals continue to develop new, harmfully effective ways to steal valuable information and companies are scrambling to acquire the best talent available to shore up their defenses.

Despite such a strong need, there again exists a striking shortage of available talent. It's expected that there will be 3.5 million unfilled jobs just by 2022. The potential costs from cyberattacks due to an inadequately staffed or prepared security department only compound the demand for companies to acquire qualified cybersecurity candidates.

5. Database Administrators

These days, businesses are inundated with data. More and more technologies creep into the everyday operations of companies, producing massive amounts of data. For a number-that's-way-too-big-to-comprehend exercise, consider the amount of data that the IDC anticipates the world will create by 2025: 175 zettabytes of data. For reference, 1 zettabyte is equal to one billion terabytes. Currently, the world has produced about 33 zettabytes of data.

Regardless of how successfully you're able to imagine what 175 zettabytes really means, the truth remains that there will be an incredible demand for IT professionals competent in extreme database management as the amount of data that an organization produces steadily increases.

Bear Staffing

Struggling to find the IT talent your business desperately needs? Bear Staffing is here to help. With over 15 years of IT staffing experience, our team of staffing professionals leverages their expertise and robust candidate network to deliver the highest quality solutions for our clients. Whether you need 5 IT professionals or 50, we have you covered. Call us today to see how we can help you.