The most in-demand tech jobs for 2025-2030

The tech industry is experiencing rapid change. Advancements in technologies like Generative AI are creating new growth opportunities for businesses. 

But widespread layoffs at organizations like Shopify, Amazon and Microsoft, have also been consistent. This instability in tech companies’ workforce has disrupted global teams’ productivity and revenue. 

Though the reasons behind these developments are complex, they reveal a common challenge: Tech enterprises struggle to provide effective talent management solutions and anticipate evolving workforce needs.

How can leaders prepare their tech teams to oversee digital transformation, adapt to change, and step into key managerial roles?

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The top 3 tech jobs of the future

In the years ahead, careers in artificial intelligence, data science and cloud computing are predicted to dominate the tech sector. These roles are highly nuanced, and successful employees will require a combination of hard and soft skills that include critical thinking, communication and decision-making. 

Based on Lepaya’s data research in The Evolution of Skills, these are the top tech jobs of the future:

• AI compliance and risk management specialist: As businesses continue adopting AI, they’ll need specialists to oversee its legal and ethical use, backed by critical-thinking and decision-making skills.
• ‍Data science architect: Collaboration and analytical skills allow data scientists to create complex reports with large datasets and share them with the stakeholders responsible for strategy and decision-making.
• Cloud solutions engineer: By connecting cloud-based apps, services and data across platforms, engineers improve efficiency and innovation. They also need project management and communication skills to work alongside cross-functional teams.

“Tech employees must prioritize continuous learning, not only to keep up with the latest AI advancements, but also to maintain proficiency in core programming languages and frameworks that underpin these systems.”

Simon Brown, Training Project Manager at Mirakl

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Updating recruitment and training for high-demand tech jobs 

Emerging technology roles – in which hard and soft skills are crucial to success – also emphasize the benefits of embracing a skills-based hiring model. This approach to recruitment gives skills priority over educational qualifications and job titles.

Skill-based hiring is  an effective way to expand candidate pools when looking for new tech talent. It allows recruiters to broaden their search to include promising individuals who may not have relevant experience, like recent graduates or professionals from different fields.

Adopting a skills-based model, however, takes time and preparation. Recruitment specialists must know how to assess and prioritize skills when hiring new workers. Employees will also need access to specialized training programs that help them upskill and deliver value as a member of a high-performing team.

Tech success requires strong leadership skills

In 2024, leadership was the second most-trained tech skill, after analytical thinking. Though this might seem surprising, there’s a growing need to develop technical leaders who have both expert knowledge and the skills to guide teams forward.

Engineering and developer leaders will need to expand their abilities to drive AI and digital transformation. They’ll have to work closely with other departments and remove tech silos. For companies that invest in upskilling leaders for the tech jobs of the future, the benefits are clear: Effective IT leadership can cut tech costs by 30% while driving productivity.

HR and learning leaders need to act as strategic partners for their organizations, attracting and retaining the talent needed to lead digital and AI transformation.

"Most importantly, people teams need to stay relevant. We should ensure that we don't just randomly choose training but align it with what the management team wants and ensure an impact on the whole company's KPIs.”

Daria Tovt, People Onboarding Specialist at Backbase

Developing the tech skills and roles for the future of work

Though the last year was one of challenges for the tech industry, new AI developments hint at a brighter tomorrow. The issues companies faced also highlighted the importance of strategic upskilling. Navigating uncertain times is easier when employees have the soft and hard skills needed to guide teams and excel in things like AI and cloud computing. By combining these abilities, organizations can foster innovation and resilience, ensuring they remain competitive. Skills-based hiring can also help organizations recruit the best talent on the markets, regardless of whether individuals meet traditional requirements centered on job titles and degrees.

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