Cybersecurity, Mobile App development most in-demand for IT: Teamlease

Skills for IT: Cybersecurity and mobile app development are among the most sought-after skills for IT professionals in 2024, according to staffing company Teamlease.

The information technology/business process management (IT-BPM) sector had contributed a share of about 7.5 percent to the GDP of the country in fiscal year 2023, Statista data reflects.

Despite a decrease in attrition within the IT sector and subdued overall demand in 2023, certain skills and technologies are poised to remain in high demand in 2024. This is fueled by new acquisitions undertaken by large IT companies, necessitating a well-prepared workforce capable of delivering new projects with heightened productivity and efficiency, according to Krishna Vij, Business Head- TeamLease Digital.

Notably, global technology spends have gone slower in the calendar year of 2023 primarily because of degrowth in hardware and devices, but saw 1.1 times more spending in enterprise software and IT services, as per trade body NASSCOM.

Among the most in-demand skills, Software Development using languages Java, Net or Python, as well as research scientist in artificial intelligence (AI) and Development Operations (DevOps) make it to the list, Vij noted.

The demand for DevOps professionals, she pointed, is rising due to the need for faster software delivery.

DevOps combine cultural philosophies, practices and tools to enhance an organisation’s ability to deliver services and applications with speed.

Particularly for engineers in DevOps, Vij said the roles include cloud solutions architect, containerisation engineer, IT operations manager and solution architect. 

Retaining Talent Through Upskilling

As these new skills are in demand, about 65 per cent of companies are investing in upskilling initiatives to retain their in-house workforce, Vij said.

The number of apprentices, or on-the-job trainees in this sector has surged by 200 per cent, Vij added, saying that this trend is expected to continue with tech companies recognising apprenticeships as an employee development strategy for cost reduction. 

Upskilling becomes a necessity because unemployment is relatively low and the majority of employers are trying to tackle an industry-wide skills shortage, as per recruitment agency Michael Page.