How COVID-19 Is Changing The Job Market For Software Engineers

There are several ways COVID-19 is changing the job market for software engineers. Since the pandemic, the IT market has been rapidly expanding. Over the past year and a half, new innovations are emerging throughout the software industry. Simultaneously, many companies are increasing their digitization as they move online. As an upcoming software engineer, you need to know how the pandemic is changing the tech job landscape. This way, you can prepare for your job search as you finish your degree program. Read on to learn about how COVID-19 is changing the job market for software engineers.

High Demand For Software Engineers

First, COVID-19 is rapidly increasing the demand for software engineers. At the start of the pandemic, many companies required new remote work resources. Indeed, lockdowns, quarantine, and social distancing put pressure on more companies to digitize their services. In the development field, this is rapidly increasing the need for cloud services, cybersecurity, and AI software solutions. Notably, businesses not previously known for their tech need to adopt these new technologies to stay afloat. For example, many restaurants are adopting QR code menus. As COVID-19 continues, nearly 90% of enterprises expect cloud usage to expand due to the pandemic.

Employers Seeking AI Knowledge

In addition, many developers are seeking artificial intelligence (AI) knowledge as well. According to recent survey data, over 20% of enterprise AI budgets exceeded $1 million since the start of the pandemic. Even more, nearly 10% of their AI budgets are already more than $5 million. Notably, these numbers are projected to continue increasing, as more development companies adopt AI on a global scale. Importantly, knowing how to build AI systems is valuable for employers. Indeed, many businesses are looking to leverage AI to generate personalized advertisements, tailor customer experiences, and automate core processes. Simultaneously, engineers are using AI to automate programming, code review, and testing throughout the development process.

Rising Developer Skills Expectations

Next, COVID-19 is also raising developer skill expectations and significantly impacting the job market. Many employers are seeking programmers who can use containerization software and DevOps tools. For example, many top enterprises use a JFrog container registry to build, store, and manage their Docker image files. Notably, this software allows you to set up a fully automated Docker promotion pipeline. With this configuration, you can ensure that your image files are tried, tested, and approved. Absolutely, COVID-19 is pushing developers to code with new tools and innovative programming languages. Fortunately, there are plenty of great DevOps online courses to choose from.

Low Unemployment Levels

Moreover, COVID-19 is also keeping unemployment levels low in the software engineering job landscape. Notably, unemployment in the IT industry has stayed below 5% through the pandemic. Compared to other industries and job sectors, this is relatively low. In fact, there has been a healthy demand for hands-on programming roles through the pandemic. For example, many enterprises are looking to hire software engineers, cloud engineers, and website developers. If businesses had to layoff any workers, these typically were limited to managerial positions due to changes in the economy. Since IT remains a vital function for almost every modern business, software engineering offers high job security and a positive outlook for graduates. In short, there are much lower unemployment levels in post-pandemic life in the tech world.

Increasing Popularity Of Remote Work

Furthermore, the pandemic is also increasing popularity for remote work. Through COVID, many companies are taking advantage of high-speed internet connections and remote video conferencing tools. Indeed, these technologies make it easy for software engineers to stay connected to their team, while staying safe. Importantly, many companies will likely continue to embrace remote work post-pandemic as well. Notably, employers can access a larger job candidate pool, without having to pay for relocation costs. In addition, companies can also save on office space.

There are several ways COVID-19 is changing the job market for software engineers. First, the pandemic is continuing to increase the demand for engineers and IT professionals. This has created an influx of careers in computer programming, software engineering, and systems development. Next, the pandemic is changing developer skill expectations, as enterprises look to meet new client needs. In addition, employers are seeking AI knowledge as well. Moreover, COVID-19 has kept software engineering unemployment levels low. Furthermore, the pandemic is also increasing the popularity of remote work. Consider these points to learn about how COVID-19 is changing the job market for software engineers.