2023's Most Sought-After Software Skills and Their Rates Worldwide

18 min read

How affordable and common are software skills and talent in your region? Could you be at risk of failing to recruit the professionals you need on a budget?

There's no doubt that software skills are ever-more in demand, and finding capable professionals at an affordable price is an increasing challenge. In fact, 56.44% of recruiters report struggling to find IT professionals. That's why it's important to understand the market demand and rates for these skills and stay updated with the trends because it will help you attract and retain top talent and remain competitive in the IT industry. 

As the founder of BEON.tech, a talent-matching business dedicated to connecting elite software developers with US businesses, I have vast experience in the software industry. I decided to dedicate my life to software skills and IT at a young age, and I graduated with a degree in Computer Science and Mathematics. Connecting top-tier software developers with businesses for so many years and my passion for the industry made me want to share the information I possess about the latest in-demand software skills and their rates. So, we're about to explore the IT demand market and affordability to help you successfully navigate the ever-evolving tech landscape.

You will learn what software skills are most in demand, why each one is considered among the hard-to-fill positions, and their rates in the seven continents. This will not only let you know what the hard-to-fill positions are, but you will also see how it relates to current technology trends, which is one crucial aspect of staying informed and detecting problems in your business recruiting strategy.

The Most Competitive Web Development Skills To Hire In 2023

Web development is the most demanded software skill in the job market. Saying that the internet is essential now is an understatement, and businesses simply can't afford to ignore this network. That being said, the primary means of establishing your online presence will always be an independent website, which web developers create and maintain. As the number of websites continues to increase at astounding numbers daily, the demand for affordable full-stack web developers has also increased.

JavaScript and Java are the leading top most in-demand programming languages in 2023 that businesses look for to build their web platforms. They have remained at the forefront of the demand line for many years. JavaScript, the most needed and versatile language, leads among the two. Knowing JavaScript enables software developers to manage powerful web development tools like Angular, React, Node.js, and Vue. 

Average Javascript Developer Hourly Salary Around The World

Now, needless to say, these are just average salaries, and there are a lot of factors that can impact a JavaScript developer's salary, like their level of experience and the size and specific location of the company.

With that said, the difference between salaries across the six researched continents could be due to a lot of factors, including the cost of living, economic development, and availability of skilled labor. North America and Europe, for example, are more economically developed regions with higher living costs; that's why it shouldn't be surprising that there are higher average salaries there. 

On the other hand, Asia and Africa are less economically developed regions with lower living costs. Additionally, Africa, although not that different from other countries, has less demand for web development than other continents.

Also, remember that these salary figures will vary widely depending on the specific country and city of each region, as well as the specific industry and company the JavaScript developer is working for. So, if your goal is to determine a fair salary for a JavaScript developer in your specific location, you would need to do thorough research and consider multiple factors in your specific area or the area of the world you're going to source your talent.

Why DevOps Engineering Is Among The Most In-Demand Software Skills 

According to recent surveys, DevOps engineering has emerged as one of the highest in-demand software skills, and for a good reason. In fact, it has secured the second spot in the list of the most in-demand software skills. DevOps have the ability to streamline development and deployment processes, reduce costs, and also give high-quality products quickly, so it gives companies a competitive advantage in the industry. 

What's making DevOps engineering such a highly in-demand skill? It's the ability to combine the traditional software development and IT operations teams to get more efficient and reliable results, facilitating communication between departments and the chief officers. They bridge the gap between these two traditionally siloed teams, making collaboration easier and building automated systems and tools that enable faster software delivery and deployment.

However, despite the high demand for DevOps engineers, it remains one of the hard-to-fill positions in the tech industry, according to Statista. This is because the role requires a really broad range of skills, including programming, automation, cloud computing, continuous integration and delivery, containerization, and infrastructure management. The average DevOps hourly salary in North America, South America, Africa, Oceania, Asia, and Europe varies greatly, as seen below.

Average DevOps Engineer Hourly Salary Worldwide

The salary averages we found make it obvious that there are big variations in compensation for DevOps engineers worldwide, with the highest salaries being in North America, Europe, and Oceania and the lowest salaries in Asia and Africa.

These variations could be due to many factors, including the cost of living, the demand for DevOps engineers, the years of workforce experience, and the competitiveness of the job market in each region. Now, remember that these salary ranges don't reflect the exact salary for every DevOps engineer in each region. 

That being said, based on the numbers above, we can reach a few logical conclusions:

  1. First, on average, a DevOps engineer in North America earns double what someone in Asia makes. Europe and Oceania have the most similar salary average, with only a 5$ difference between one and the other. Possibly because these regions have very similar-behaving software skill markets. On the other hand, in South America, there's a $35 difference between the highest and lowest salaries, making it stand in a perfect middle ground of affordable talent. This may be because this region is in a structural development stage with high-end technology and a low cost of living.
  2. The fact that South America has a lower average salary than North America but higher than Asia and Africa could specifically mean that there's an emerging market for DevOps talent. If you're seeking to expand your operations in the region, you may want to consider investing in recruiting talent from South America. 
  3. The difference in salaries for DevOps engineers could also have some implications for the future because, as remote work becomes more common, an engineer living in Asia can earn a comfortable living by working remotely for companies in higher-paying regions. At the same time, companies are increasingly turning to remote workers as a way to access talent in different parts of the world.
  4. If we were to calculate the global average salary for a DevOps engineer, it would come out to around $39 per hour. However, it's more than obvious that this number is heavily skewed, and there are overwhelming differences, sometimes between a country and another country, when it comes to salary.

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How The Demand For Cyber Security Experts Skyrocketed In 2023

Cybersecurity engineering is now one of the most sought-after skills in the software industry and keeps growing. According to recent surveys, it ranks fourth among the most popular software skills in demand. Should we be surprised? The number has only increased with the number of cyber attacks large companies and small startups alike have experienced. In the US alone, there are currently hundreds of thousands of cybersecurity job openings that remain unfilled due to a lack of skilled professionals. If you don't pay attention to cyber security, you must be ready to face risks, including legal liabilities, loss of reputation, and financial crises. Because of it, hiring qualified cybersecurity engineers is crucial for any organization that values its security and continuity.

Another reason why cyber security is among the most in-demand software skills is the growing reliance of the average person on technology. The internet sustains our daily lives, cloud computing, and mobile devices, so the risk and negative consequences of cyber-attacks have increased exponentially–the stakes are higher. Moreover, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) has also contributed to the demand for cybersecurity skills. 

The average cyber security hourly salary worldwide has even greater rate variations, creating a gap between continents due to differences in demand in both Asia and Africa, as seen below.

Average Cyber Security Hourly Salary Worldwide

Oceania offers the highest average Cyber Security salary, surpassing North America by a mere 2$, and Europe by 9$. South America also offers a decent salary, although it's significantly lower than North America and Oceania. On the other hand, Asia and Africa seem to offer lower average Cyber Security salaries, with Africa keeping the streak of having the lowest average salary in the world.

Before reaching any conclusions, please remember that Cyber Security is a broad field with many different job titles and specializations, so certain regions of the world may have a greater demand for certain types of Cyber Security professionals, which could impact salary levels and the results of our research. Additionally, salaries may differ depending on the industry that a Cyber Security professional is working in, with certain industries, like blockchain development, offering higher salaries than others.

Based on that, we can make some inferences as to why there are such different rates:

  1. The high average hourly rate in Oceania could mean that there's a strong demand for cybersecurity professionals in this region. This wouldn't be surprising because there's a high concentration of tech companies. There have also been many data breaches and increased market regulations related to cybersecurity.
  2. The low average hourly rate in Asia could be explained by the fact that many countries in this region have a large pool of talented and qualified IT professionals, which creates a more competitive job market and lower overall salaries in a  region that is already characterized by the fierceness of its job market.
  3. The higher cyber security salaries in North America and Europe are probably influenced by the fact that these regions are home to many of the world's largest and most influential tech companies, including Google and Microsoft, which may offer higher salaries and benefits to attract top talent.
  4. Africa's relatively low cybersecurity salary is partly due to the not-so-high demand in the cybersecurity market coming from this continent in particular. This could result in a shortage of skilled professionals and a lower overall demand for cybersecurity services. Also, because this is such a new trend, it could just be that some regions take more time to hop in than others.

Why Employers Struggle to Find Machine Learning Candidates

It's obvious that the need for professionals in the machine learning space is increasing at a rapid rate–recent studies prove it. Yet companies are finding it difficult to hire the right people due to the intricate nature of the field. Machine learning is advancing quickly and requires a vast knowledge of topics such as mathematics, statistics and computer science. And now, machine learning is one of the most difficult positions to fill in the tech industry.

On top of this, the most sought-after roles in the tech sector are those that demand a significant level of knowledge in the area of machine learning. Positions like machine learning engineer, data scientist, and AI researcher are highly sought after and are difficult for businesses to fill due to the expertise and experience needed to apply these algorithms and techniques to real-world applications.

The popularity of machine learning abilities is increasing due to the wish for automation, which can save businesses time and money. This has already begun to change the job market, as companies now prioritize automating tasks rather than bringing on new employees. Companies use machine learning to recognize patterns and abnormalities in data to make better decisions and improve goods and services, which is why it is the go-to choice for many businesses and startups.

It's not surprising that North America has the highest average salary for Machine Learning engineers as this region has been a pioneer in developing Machine Learning technologies and has given birth to the Machine Learning trend itself. Because of this, many large tech companies require top talent to develop and maintain their ML systems.

In the third spot, Europe has a high average salary due to the strong presence of tech companies and startups that focus on Machine Learning and related fields.

On the other hand, Asia and Africa have lower average salaries, as has been with the prior professions, due to the lower cost of living in these regions, as well as differences in the level of development and adoption of Machine Learning technologies. But even in those conditions, we can clearly see that Machine Learning stands much higher in both demand and salary than the other professions.

I analyzed the average machine learning engineer salaries worldwide, and using a little bit of imagination, I could draw some interesting logical conclusions:

  1. There's a big pay gap between North America and the rest of the world. North American ML engineers are earning nearly double the hourly rate of their counterparts in Europe, Oceania, and South America. This is most likely due to the reasons I mentioned above.
  2. Because there is a correlation between scarcity, demand, and the average salary of engineers across regions, it seems like the Machine Learning boom has filled the world, as the highest salaries across all continents are in this profession. 
  3. In a more general appreciation, we can now infer that the cost of living and currency exchange rates play a crucial role in determining the value of these salaries. For instance, even though the hourly rate in South America is significantly lower than in North America, the currency value in South America is also lower, meaning that the purchasing power of these salaries could be similar in both regions.
  4. Lastly, the hourly rate is also very high in Oceania. That could be due to the high demand for machine learning engineers in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, which have strong technology industries and high salaries in general.

The Top Reasons Database Management is a Tough Skill Set to Hire

The database administration field is expected to grow by 9% in the following years, which may not seem much at first, but in practice, it means that there will be thousands of new database administrator openings without immediate filling. With the exponential growth of data being generated by businesses and individuals alike, there is more need now than ever for skilled professionals who can effectively manage and organize this information. 

Even further, as more and more data accumulates from the countless platforms and technologies offered today, there is an increasing demand for individuals who possess expertise in a wide range of database management systems, including both traditional relational databases and newer, cloud-based systems. Out of these two, skills in cloud database management are exponentially more important as more and more businesses migrate their operations to the cloud.

According to the data, we can make a few observations:

  1. As with most cases, North America and Oceania have the highest reported hourly salaries for Database Administrators due to both a higher demand for skilled DBAs in those regions and a higher cost of living.
  2. Although Asia and Africa have the lowest reported hourly salaries for DBAs, they have relatively high salaries considering the averages we've seen before and the average salary in general in these regions, meaning that  Database Administration is highly valued in Asia and Africa.
  3. Surprisingly, Europe has a relatively low reported hourly salary for DBAs. It could be due to lower demand for skilled professionals in the region.
  4. The reported salaries with this particular profession vary the most significantly across regions, with a difference of up to $42 per hour between the highest and lowest reported salaries. This indicates that there are greater differences and disparities in the demand for skilled DBAs and the way they're seen in different regions.

Conclusion

The skills we just studied continue to rise rapidly as businesses worldwide seek to digitize their operations. As you saw, the rates for these skills vary greatly across different regions of the world, with North America and Oceania consistently offering the highest pay for these positions. Keeping these differences in mind can help you lay out strategies to remain competitive in the current fierce talent market.

Source: https://techreviewer.co/blog/most-sought-after-software-skills-and-their-rates-worldwide

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