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REVEALED: The Top Tech Roles in Demand in New Zealand in 2020

2019 has seen a rapid evolution of New Zealand’s workplace environment.

This has been characterised by wide scale adoption of Big Data analytics, cloud migration, and a renewed emphasis on cyber security.

The adoption and integration of these technologies require specialist tech skill sets. That means that even though the demand for IT professionals of all types is high, there will be even stronger demand for a select set of roles in 2020 and beyond.

Data scientists

Data scientists are responsible for collecting, processing, analysing and communicating data. As the volume of data being generated and collected is now increasing at an exponential rate, the need for data scientists is also growing in response. It is their combination of technical skills and the soft skills allowing them to communicate insights from data that make them extremely sought after.

The insights data scientists can generate are vital for business intelligence and properly understanding target markets. Having quality data scientists can lead to significant efficiency improvements as well as guiding the development of the products and services that a company’s customers are really looking for.

Data engineers

Data engineers design, build, and manage Big Data infrastructure and prepare data for further analysis. Data engineers need to make sure that the architecture that helps collect and process data is working properly so that others in the organisation can use that data to beneficial effect.

It is a mistake to use the terms data engineer and data scientist interchangeably because data engineers essentially develop the infrastructure and transform data so that data scientists can use it. Without data engineers, it’s not possible for an organisation to properly utilise data because it would be too inaccessible.

Change/Agile managers

The Agile methodology is becoming increasingly popular as a project delivery tool, especially in software development. It involves the development and testing activities integral to software development being done concurrently. Compared to more traditional project delivery styles, it is more focused on iteration to see what works and what doesn’t. The approach also places a greater emphasis on customer involvement throughout the project, with iterations based on feedback.

As the popularity of Agile increases, managers with expertise in leading Agile teams are in strong demand. As many enterprises are also undergoing major transformations in the pursuit of increasing productivity and efficiency, there is also strong demand for change managers, especially those experienced in digital transformations.

Cyber security consultants

Cyber security is now a major concern for organisations of all sizes. Due to the financial and reputational risks associated with data or privacy breaches, increased resources need to be allocated to ensure cyber security is robust. Therefore there is an increasing demand for cyber security consultants to address these concerns.

Cyber security consultants help organisations audit their security risk level, plan robust multi-layered cyber security strategies, implement those strategies, and educate the organisation’s staff on the importance of following best practices.

Cloud architects/engineers

As more and more companies move over to enterprise cloud storage or multi-cloud solutions, there is a corresponding high demand for cloud engineers and cloud architects with experience working on large scale migration projects. The most sought after candidates have certifications in one or more of the major cloud platforms such as Azure, AWS or Google.

Full stack developers

Full stack developers combine the work of both front-end and back-end developers. This means they’re responsible for working on code for apps, software, or websites that users interact with as well as the code that’s running on the servers behind the scenes. They tend to have a very large knowledge base and work somewhat in a “jack of all trades” capacity.

Because of their knowledge base, full stack developers are often great problem solvers, a trait that is highly regarded in the tech sector. They are also in very high demand in smaller companies and startups because those companies often have limited resources that prevent them from being able to hire designated front and back end developers.

For more details on which tech roles are most in demand in New Zealand right now, talk to the NZ tech specialists at Finite.

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