A 2021 update of the most popular and in demand computer programmes worldwide.
The software development space continues to be an area in which there is a great demand for talent, and which can also be lucrative. In the United States, and according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the demand for software developers, software quality assurance analysts and testers is expected to increase by 22% between 2019 and 2029, which is considerably faster than the average for all other occupations. Additionally, the median annual earnings in 2020 was approximately USD 110,000 (Source: Bureau of Labor and Statistics).
Globally, demand for software developers and engineers still seems to exceed supply, but specific and current figures on that gap does appear to be readily available. However, as of 2020, and according to Daxx, the general talent shortage was around 40 million worldwide, and by 2030, that shortage is projected to reach 85.2 million workers. As a result, and with regard to software development, increasingly organisations have been opting to hire freelancers and gig workers to try to satisfy their demand, along with supporting their current workers in re-skilling or up-skilling programme.
Although there is currently high demand for skilled software development talent, individuals may be wary that the demand may soon dwindle. However, that seems to be unlikely into the foreseeable future, when the following reasons are considered:
- The continual need for code to be changed and updated
- The speed at which in technology is advancing
- The growing complexity and sophistication of projects
- Need for innovative software
So what are the programming languages that are in demand?
Similar to previous years, there is no definitive list of the most in-demand programming languages. Factors such as the questions posed, the emphasis of the survey administrator, the source of the survey participants, along with their geographic location, to name a few, can influence the findings recorded. As a result, we have examined a number of respected resources that track such data, and have summarised the results in Exhibit 1 below.
Similar to previous years, there is some commonality across the various lists, and especially with respect to the top five:
- Java
- Python
- JavaScript
- Members of the C family, especially C and C++.
So which languages are popular based on development area?
Having said this, it ought to be considered that the best programming languages to learn may be influenced by the development area for which they would be used. As reflected in Exhibit 2, the popular languages for specific areas can vary, though some commonalities still exist.
In summary, and in order to be improve marketability, it may be prudent to develop proficiency in popular languages that tend to be used across the board, along with key languages that are widely used in one’s development area(s) of interest. Further, it is important to emphasise that the languages that are currently in demand, potentially, may not be as popular in the future. As technology and development needs and skills evolve, the emphasis among existing languages may shift and new languages may be developed to better fulfil programming requirement. It is thus wise to monitor the trends in your field of interest, the industry generally, as well as in home country, in order to be in a position to adapt and pivot as might be needed.
Image credit: Gerd Altmann (Pixabay)
I would add to those reasons why demand may not dwindle soon enough: the ever growing range and breadth, not just of projects, but of areas whose functionalities are computer program-driven. Here we are talking for example about cars where you don’t manually adjust the seat, but the peddles are adjusted relative to the seat through programs, let alone talking about driver-less vehicles.