The expiring year saw a lot of traction regarding tech advancement. Virtual reality has made a big push through numerous devices and programs. A widespread acceptance of AI-based products closely followed it. In those terms, 2017 should be no different.
As always, some changes are bound to happen due to the nature of the fast-paced world we live in today. The overall rise of the tech jobs will be the primary change. Also, the way how IT professionals are hired will be another major factor. The post-Brexit United Kingdom is perhaps the best evidence of the trend.
Increasing demand for tech jobs
“There is no doubt that Brexit has created a lot of uncertainty in the UK, but it isn’t putting technology companies off from hiring talented workers. Facebook and Google recently pledged to create more jobs in the UK, and we can expect to see other companies follow suit in 2017,” says John Hazelton, UK Country Manager at talent.io.
The United Kingdom is one of the global leaders in tech development. In those terms, it has a rather important role in the worldwide market. Thus, it stands to reason that there won’t be a radical change regarding the continual flow of investments in the country. Most notably, its capital will retain the fair share of investments and Hazelton agrees:
“Even global investment firms have pledged to continue their support for the UK’s tech sector despite the vote to leave the EU, with many citing London as an important hub for future growth. PitchBook data sourced by London & Partners found that, in the last five years, London’s technology sector received more venture capital investment than any other major European city.”
The benefit of constant investments and business ventures is clear – demand will be higher. This means IT professionals will be highly sought after, primarily software experts.
“As more companies grow and new startups launch, we will see a huge increase in the demand for developers. After all, developers are the talent behind the successful technologies we use today and the technologies we will use more of in the future – think the Internet of Things and virtual reality,” Hazelton adds.
The change in hiring
The industry itself will experience some change from the inside as well. Seeking out new talent will be a different process. The focus will be on the efficiency and the skills of the candidates. This will be in contrast to current demand hiring which often misses the point.
“The growth in demand for tech talent will also spell a change for the recruitment industry. Currently, there is a lot of pain in hiring people. Companies using traditional recruitment agencies are often passed to salespeople that are more focused on getting their numbers up and have little tech industry experience, which wastes time for all parties involved.”
The change has already begun, but Hazelton expects 2017 to be the year where it will make a full swing.
“Next year, we will see the tech recruitment industry being shaken up by a new breed of recruitment agency that will do all the leg work to make recruiting easier. We will see them up the ante on client and candidate care (getting to know their needs and wants), enabling them to handpick the best tech talent and bring innovative companies such as Facebook and Google direct to them.”
With a refined, more effective process in hiring, it seems the direct approach will play the main role. Hazelton explains:
“There will be selective recruitment platforms like talent.io where companies can interact directly with IT pros that best suit their needs and send job descriptions including salary range as well as request interviews. If the candidates are interested, both sides can meet (without the middlemen) and the process goes on, with agency experts on hand to provide salary negotiation advice and more.”
Freelancing in 2017
So, what does the changing trend in tech jobs means for freelancing in the coming year?
It means that freelancers will be a hot commodity, thanks to a more direct approach of hiring. We’ll be more accessible than ever while sorting out the best way to represent ourselves. There will be an increase in the number of freelancers overall, further pushing the advocacy for independent work. More people will see it as a viable career, rather than a side job.
Regarding freelance writing, it certainly falls into the category of being “in the zone”. Still, the category may not experience a significant exposure like developers and other IT professionals.
We’ll cover this topic in more detail in the next few entries.
Image credit: Flickr | Amber Case
