Career Advice
Paul Brown
20.12.21
With over 2.3 billion people online, Asia is home to more than half of the world’s internet users.
Incidentally, Europe has the second highest number with 16% and, perhaps surprisingly, North America is way down the list at #5. Though, thanks to low restrictions and an established telecommunications infrastructure, the US has the highest population penetration at over 94%.
But getting back to Asia, with an internet penetration consistently 5% lower than the global average, they still have a lot of room to develop and grow, making it a region poised for massive digital transformation.
Depending on your point of view, that can represent a crisis or an opportunity.
It’s a crisis of sorts for companies as COVID-19 accelerates many organisations’ digital transformation journey. Adopting new technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data and cloud computing is seen as a necessary next step in the race to remain competitive in tomorrow’s market. But to keep pace with these advances, businesses are facing an acute talent shortage. Demand is at an unprecedented high – and growing.
And that makes it an opportunity for individuals with the skills and knowledge which meet the needs of digitally transformed industries. It is in this environment LinkedIn predicts that “workers who are equipped with digital skills will have an edge in finding employment opportunities”.
The evolution of employment in Asia
The APAC region has traditionally had a high proportion of industries which require physical proximity, manufacturing in particular.
As the pandemic forced everyone to stay at home, suddenly businesses had to find a way to capitalise on their employees as they transitioned overnight into remote working arrangements.
This, combined with increased web penetration and businesses scaling up their online services, created demand for tech talent that quickly outstripped the supply of suitable job candidates.
The growth trend in the technology job market
After healthcare, Forbes lists information technology as the world’s second largest growing employment field overall for 2022. In Southeast Asia, LinkedIn found that the top three fastest growing job categories for 2021 were digital content, data analysis, and software technology.
Looking forward to the next decade, employment in computer and information technology jobs is projected to grow 13 percent from 2020 to 2030, faster than the average for all occupations.
And a 2022 Digital Talent Insight report estimates a shortage of 47 million tech talent in the Asia-Pacific region by 2030.
So where will the biggest job growth be?
The top 5 most in-demand tech jobs in Asia Pacific in 2022
As companies look to reposition for growth in the recovery from the pandemic, talent with the right skills and experience will be their most important asset.
Into 2022 the top high demand tech jobs are predicted to be:
Software Developer
The key creative, brainstorming masterminds behind all computer applications, software developers design, write, install, and test software systems that they have built for a company.
This is a role for innovators and collaborators which involves understanding user needs, developing solutions that will solve a problem, provide entertainment or simply make life easier for its intended audience.
The skills of software developers are in high demand across a vast diversity of industries. Experienced developers are well regarded and well rewarded. Learn more about this exciting role in our new blog.
Data Scientist
Dubbed “Sexiest Job of the twenty-first century,” data scientists are a new breed of analytical data expert who have the technical skills to solve complex problems – and the curiosity to explore what problems need to be solved. They’re part mathematician, part computer scientist and part trend-spotter. Responsible for presenting the crucial data that helps an organisation make better-informed decisions, they can work in almost every area and business, and are in huge demand.
IT Manager
Varying considerably from one company to another, the IT manager will determine their organisation’s IT needs and help guide the technological direction by constructing business plans, overseeing network security, and directing online operations.
They tend to be enterprising individuals, who are ambitious, curious, confident, optimistic, persuasive and motivational. With great career growth potential, skilled IT managers are an invaluable member of any team, and highly sought after.
Cybersecurity Analyst
As a company’s frontline of defense, a cybersecurity analyst protects hardware, software, and networks from cybercriminals. The analyst’s primary role is to understand and monitor company IT infrastructure, evaluate threats of cyberattacks, malware and cybercriminals’ behavior, and actively seek to anticipate and prevent network breaches.
According to Fortune Business Insights, few industries have job growth as fast as cybersecurity.
Computer Systems Analyst
Computer systems analysts, or systems architects, are a bit like digital detectives. They closely investigate a company’s computer systems and procedures and find ways for them to operate in more efficient and effective ways.
They team up with programmers and UX designers to build improved computer systems. They also work closely with an organisation’s chief executives and advise other technology team members. Relied on to help fulfil a company’s mission, experienced systems analysts earn high respect and attractive salaries.
How FDM can help you answer the escalating tech talent demand
One of the main problems facing Asia-Pacific industries is how to find a swift solution to the urgent needs of employers’ hunger for digital talent.
The FDM Graduate Programme is geared to respond to that need with centres in China, Hong Kong and Singapore and Australia.
If you have a passion for tech, and drive to succeed, you can be equipped with all the industry-leading skills you need to be job ready in just 6-14 weeks. You’ll then be placed as an FDM Consultant with one or more of our blue-chip, international clients for 2 years.
This is an opportunity to leverage your skills toward a tech career with rapid growth potential – and a chance to show the world you have the skills, talent and innovation to transform the future.