Employment Trends: Are You Professionally Fashionable or Not?

Oracle Blog´s

By Breanne Cooley on Aug 31, 2016

Written by Alexandra Georgescu, Oracle University Program Manager - Workforce Development

The unemployment problem young people face is nothing new.

And the events of the past few years following the 2008 financial crisis have dramatically exacerbated it.

While young people are eager to work, more than half of those without jobs say they simply can’t find one - all while businesses across the globe insist they struggle to find young, skilled candidates with the skills they need.

So how can young people get on the right professional track and secure your futures?

Our lives are becoming increasingly connected to our devices and other people.

• Smart machines get smarter.
• The Internet of things will be the great next trend.
• A new IT reality must evolve with technology architectures and platforms to support the advancement of a digitally connected world.

In this context, the future is looking bright for those who dream of becoming data analysts or sales representatives, while opposing are office and administrative jobs and customer service roles.

If you're planning to pursue a career as a software engineer or developer, you probably won't have to worry about finding a job — no matter where in the world you live.

Although, because of the overall disruption of the employment market, the competition for talent within in demand job families (like computer and mathematical, architecture, engineering and other strategic roles) will be fierce.

As a result, finding efficient ways to secure a solid pipeline is a priority for employers.

The computer and mathematical job family is anticipated to experience very high growth centered on data analysis, as well as software and applications developers.

And this growth will expand into other industries, including:

• Financial services and investors
• Media
• Entertainment and information
• Mobility
• Professional services 

Computing power and Big Data analytics constitutes a significant driver of employment growth in each, all resulting from the global digital transformation.

Technology and Skills Priorities

IT security is a top priority; human error is becoming a growing concern for businesses.

Many blame failing to get staff up to speed on security breaches – a sign that IT professionals need to look beyond technology solutions and start taking responsibility for training the people who use them.

Mobility is a high priority, which means we can expect an increase in the use of tablets, as well as services like video-conferencing.

But people still care more about traditional IT infrastructure.

Data storage and networks were priorities two and four for the coming year.

Despite the hype around cloud, server rooms and data centers are not dead yet. The skills to maintain them are still in demand as we develop new skills for the approaching cloud.

Cloud, nevertheless, is coming.

Some people are hesitant and consider security a top priority, but very many find challenges when trying to develop staff expertise.

Companies must take the skills issue seriously.

As the software development skills shortage intensifies, many western companies are pushing positions offshore to pay developing country wages. This helps companies avoid paying inflated salaries for domestic employees.

But outsourcing is not a silver bullet for the skills shortage issue. Instead, businesses should look to retain the people and resources that differentiate them in the market and provide a competitive advantage.

Glassdoor published a report on the top 25 lucrative, in demand jobs at the beginning of this year.

More than half of the jobs listed are in tech and require programming skills.

If you’re interested in a fast-growing and lucrative career, you should make learning to code next on your checklist!

Stand Out to Stay Ahead

In today’s fast-changing global IT environment, your most important investment is in yourself.

Job experience, coupled with an Oracle Certification, demonstrates your skill and proficiency in the industry. Earning a well-respected Oracle Certification sets you on the path to a better and more rewarding career.

Oracle and Java are among the highest paying IT certifications, according to recent studies.

The IT industry is looking for well trained professionals. With the right certification, IT companies will be looking for you.

With more than 420,000 customers, with distribution across a wide variety of industries in more than 145 countries, developing the most in demand Oracle skills will offer you exciting prospects for your professional future.

Just imagine being able to contribute to the success of over 420,000 businesses just by learning Oracle technologies.

Pretty amazing, isn’t it?

Get started now! Choose Oracle technologies to kickstart your tech career.

Your future with Oracle is bright!

Learn more about the Workforce Development Program, Oracle training courses and Oracle Certifications.