Development skills top this year’s most-wanted tech skills list according to the latest data from freelancing platform Upwork.
Full stack development is number one on a list of top 10 tech skills that employers will be looking for this year, according to Upwork.
The online platform is a global marketplace for freelancers and companies looking to employ them.
California-headquartered Upwork sourced the data it used to compile its 2023 skills predictions from its US freelancers’ earnings from 1 January 2022 to 31 October 2022.
While the findings are based on US data, there is a high percentage of US companies that employ people in Ireland.
Front-end development and back-end development are the second and third most wanted skills.
The fourth and fifth most in-demand tech skills employers will search for in 2023 are mobile app development and web design.
Rounding out the top 10 were e-commerce website development, UX/UI design, CMS development, manual testing and scripting and automation.
Upwork compiles a list of its most in-demand skills every year. Previous years have seen skills such as JavaScript, PHP, Python, web design and web development singled out by the platform.
According to Margaret Lilani, VP of talent at Upwork, the changes in workplace culture over the past few years have meant more people are choosing to freelance.
Another report from Upwork in 2022 showed that 60m people in the US took on freelance work over a 12 month period. This represented 39pc of the region’s working population, which was an all-time high.
“We are experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime, tectonic shift in the notion of work, where skilled professionals are rethinking what they want from their careers, and are gravitating toward the flexibility, autonomy and benefits of freelancing,” said Lilani.
“At the same time, the uncertain economic environment is pushing businesses to explore new solutions to stay competitive and they’re finding unlocked potential in the growing pool of skilled independent professionals. As we kick off 2023, it’s a perfect time for freelancers to expand their skillsets or break into a new career, while companies seek independent talent across a broader range and at a higher rate than ever before.”
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