From AI to green computing, here’s what tech hiring managers are looking for this year

2023 was the year of the tech layoff — nearly a quarter million people were laid off from tech companies, including Google, Meta, Microsoft and hundreds of growing tech startups.

Laid-off Big Tech workers are highly sought after, so the mass layoffs were a boon for companies outside of Silicon Valley competing for top tech talent. Yet the unemployment rate in the US remained low in 2023, as low as 3.4%, never hitting 4% (generally speaking, the unemployment rate isn’t considered high until it hits 5%).

One of the biggest trends in tech hiring in the last few years has been remote and hybrid work. As reported by Forbes last year, approximately 40% of all employees worked remotely at least part of the time, with tech and IT workers the most likely to work from home. What was once a workplace-altering trend has settled into normalcy.

2024 is the first new year since generative AI became an everyday part of our lives and workplaces, and it’s making a big impact on hiring: While AI and automation are replacing some jobs, they’re creating even more. And AI will be a central part of many new jobs in 2024.

“What we are starting to find is that being able to use AI is going to be core to everybody’s job,” AI consultant Dan Diasio told Technical.ly in September. “Everybody’s job will probably involve knowing how to work with AI in some way, shape or form.”

Other hiring trends to keep an eye on in 2024 include:

Cloud computing

Globally, there were more listings for cloud computing jobs than any other type of job in 2023. Cloud computing jobs — positions involved with a company’s remote infrastructure and storage system — continue to be plentiful on tech job boards. These high-paying positions often start at over $100,000 and include positions like cloud engineer, cloud application architect and cloud computing specialist.

Non-tech industry tech jobs

With all those Big Tech layoffs, the talent had to go somewhere. In many cases, they went to work as technologists at companies that are considered to be outside of the tech industry. Industries like finance, healthcare and hospitality need software developers and other tech workers. What these jobs may lack in Big Tech glamor they make up for in security and versatility. The best tech jobs are no longer concentrated in California as tech becomes core to nearly all industries. \

DEI

Despite the aggressive efforts of right-wing activists to destroy these efforts, diversity, equity and inclusion is still a hiring priority for 75% of decision-makers across the board, Forbes reports. Why is something under attack still widely a priority? At least some of the credit should go to Generation Z, which is now about a third of the talent pool, tech-savvy and less inclined to consider working for a company that doesn’t value DEI. But it’s not just the younger generation: According to an EY survey, 63% of job seekers across the board want a workplace that prioritizes DEI.

Green computing

The rise of cryptocurrency and, more recently, generative AI has raised awareness that digital technology impacts the environment, with its energy usage and carbon output. Green computing is going to be bigger than ever in 2024, Digital Journal reports. That includes the manufacture and maintenance of hardware, software and clouds that are eco-friendly, energy-efficient and carbon-neutral.

Continuous learning

Tech job seekers of 2024 need to have skills, but just as importantly, they also must be able to evolve with the tech. Tech workers never stop learning, and that often means regular upskilling as part of the job.

“If you’re not constantly learning about new technologies, you’re going to fall behind,” Steve Williamson, the director of software development for Tapp Network and a 2023 RealLIST Engineer, told Technical.ly in October.

Hot sectors

In addition to AI, cloud computing and green computing, sectors to watch for in 2024 include data science, cybersecurity, augmented and virtual reality (including “metaverse” jobs), DevOps and full-stack software development.