A lot happened in 2021, and the world of tech was no exception! The vaccine rolled out, restrictions ended, and the jobs market roared back to life. According to our recent employment outlook survey, a record 50% of UK employers said they plan to hire over the next three months. The quickest growing sector? Tech!

This should come as no surprise. The pandemic changed the way we live and work almost overnight. While it forced some industries to stop and pause, the tech industry kept going behind the scenes, facilitating new ways of working and keeping the economy buoyant. As a result, IT roles that didn’t even exist pre-pandemic are now in high demand.

But businesses are facing a tough challenge: demand is fast outstripping supply. Our latest report reveals that nearly two-thirds (64%) of companies don’t have the IT skills required to implement their digital transformation strategy.

For job seekers the outlook is brighter: tech-related jobs now account for more than half of the top in-demand roles today, presenting those with specialised IT skills a huge opportunity to accelerate their careers – but just as tech doesn’t stand still, as a candidate in this field, neither should you – you need to keep your skillset relevant!

With a flood of new opportunities washing over the IT sector, here’s how you can surf the wave and not get swallowed up by the competition:Go where the opportunities are – the most in-demand tech roles in the UK right nowIn a rapidly evolving digital landscape, what employers are looking for is constantly changing, and knowing where to start can feel challenging at the best of times.

The first step is to identify the roles of the future. Here are 10 tech specialisms that companies are likely to add to their stack over the coming years:

• Data analysts and scientists
• AI and machine learning specialists
• Big data specialists
• Internet of Things specialists
• Digital transformation specialists
• Process automation specialists
• Information security analysts
• FinTech engineers
• Database and network professionals
• Business development professionals

So, which skills do I need to land these roles?We increasingly live our lives online – socialising, working, buying and selling goods and services. With that in mind, tech recruiters are looking for people that can help to facilitate online collaboration, engagement and keeping customers’ data safe.

This can be said for most tech roles. However, to get a clear picture of the exact skills employers are looking for in relation to your desired role, you’ll need a targeted method.The solution: a personalised approach to unlock your potential and build your path to successTo help you realise your aspirations and find the right IT career for you, you need a trusted tool.

Once you’ve established the roles with potential, and where you’d like to go, it’s time to identify your skills gaps and figure out how you can bridge them to secure the role of your dreams.

Using the power of AI, our Experis Career Accelerator provides IT graduates and people who have skills and experience in related roles, with the opportunity to assess their capabilities and develop their career in areas that we know are high in demand. It scans more than 30,000 skills and 10,000 roles to help you chart your personalised pathway to 20 of the hottest IT jobs. What’s more, it offers free fast-track courses and learning modules on a range of specialty topics with some of the industry’s leading accredited providers, including Microsoft, CISCO and IBM.In short, the Experis® Career Accelerator helps you create a roadmap from your current role to your desired role through a clear step by step process:Profile Your SkillsWe help you understand your potential by evaluating your skills and allowing you to explore the hottest IT roles.Uncover Your Skills GapsOur digital, AI driven approach helps you identify and close skills gaps to achieve your career objectives.Build Your Path to SuccessProviding best in class, industry validated technical training, we connect you with the most direct route to develop in-demand skills.Land a Better JobWe connect qualified candidates to better paid high-value jobs across our Experis client portfolio.And don’t forget……technical abilities alone won’t put you at the top of a hiring manager’s list. The secret sauce is the right mix between tech and soft skills. Steve Jobs once famously said that ‘Technology is nothing’, instead focusing on the humans behind the technology: ‘If you give them tools, they’ll do wonderful things with them.’ So, whilst tech skills are important, so are human skills. Analytical thinking and innovation, creativity and complex problem solving, for example, are some of the most sought-after capabilities by organisations seeking top talent right now.

Find out more about how the Experis® Career Accelerator could help you here.

For a deep dive into the top tech skills in demand today and predictions for the future, read our Experis Insights report. Or browse our latest vacancies if you’re ready to explore our existing tech roles.