Cybersecurity
There needs to be more cybersecurity professionals to cover every industry’s needs. In January 2023, over 750,000 cybersecurity job postings were available across the United States. However, only 68% of those roles could be filled by professionals. Gartner reports that IT Security Professionals are the most sought-after role in corporate tech initiatives for 2022. In Pluralsight’s state of upskilling for 2022, tech professionals said cybersecurity was the most significant skills gap. Cloud computing had been the number one gap until 2022.
Cybersecurity is a field that’s unique and growing. There are no two days that are the same. You can enter this field from a variety of professions.
Consider a career in cybersecurity and opportunities if you are a person who is passionate about learning and loves to be challenged.
What are the best places to work as a cybersecurity professional
New York and Washington DC are home to high salaries for cyber security professionals (about $175k), but only a small number of candidates per position – about one per job post! The local talent pool is large (New York has over 9k professionals, Washington DC twice as many).
Melbourne and Sydney have many talented cyber security experts but offer high salaries ($102k) and have few applicants for each position. According to the Global Liveability Index for 2022, Melbourne was ranked as the 10th most liveable city in the world.
Paris, Toronto, and London are other locations that offer decent salaries and have few applicants. Tokyo provides a higher annual salary for cyber security (103k) but has more applicants than other global hubs.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning, are exploding big-time. Gartner says that the demand for AI skills in 2022 will be second only to computer science, with an increase of 14.3% in U.S. jobs. According to estimates, the global AI software market will grow by about 54% annually.
Although AI/ML jobs offer some of the highest market salaries, hiring for these positions is notoriously difficult.
What are the top places to work for AI/ML in the world
San Jose, San Francisco and Washington DC offer some of the best salaries for AI/ML Engineers (approximately between $180k and $213k). The number of applicants per job is low despite the high salaries. These cities are the ideal places to find an AI/ML position.
Shanghai and Beijing have low numbers of applicants for AI/ML jobs (six per job), despite a moderate talent pool and decent salaries. Shenzhen, New Taipei City and other regions have good salaries and low applicant numbers per job.
Cloud specialization
Did you know that while 75% of organizations build new products and services in the cloud by design, only 8 % of technologists have extensive experience with cloud tools? Cloud specialists with in-depth knowledge are in high demand.
You can also become a cloud specialist by self-learning. Winston Smith, for example, went from sales of phones to becoming a cloud architect at AWS within 14 months. His salary increased by six times. His story is not unique. It shows that the road to tech, particularly with a cloud specialty, is not always smooth.
You could become a cloud specialist if you are curious and solutions-focused, with a passion for learning.
What are the best places in the world to work with cloud computing
Cloud engineers in cities like Tokyo and Washington DC are paid well (on average $99.2k compared to $131k). Tokyo has a higher number of applicants for each job (ten) than Washington DC (3)
Melbourne, Australia has emerged as a hub for cloud engineers. The APAC region has high salaries ($78.5k), and there are few applicants for each job. This suggests that the business is in a fierce competition to find great talent.
London has also a low applicant per job, and an EMEA salary range of $108k.
Solutions Architecture
The field of technology is not about technology. It’s about solutions. People who are able to design, describe and manage solutions can be invaluable for a company. The high salaries offered for roles as solutions architects reflect this value. There is no one path to become a solutions architecture, just as there are many paths to be a cloud specialist.
You might enjoy solutions architecture if you are a creative and analytical person, who is able to explain a problem in both a non-technical and technical way.
What are the top places to work for Solutions Architecture in the world
New York City and Washington DC both have low applicant numbers per role, but offer regionally high salaries (averaging $217k or $210k respectively). Dallas ($203k), London (£174k), Toronto (£123k), Sydney ($125k) and London are other cities with high salaries and low applicants.
Data Science & Analysis
Data scientists are in high demand. Employment of data scientists is
What are the top places to work for Data Science and Analysis in the world
Washington DC, New York and San Francisco offer higher salaries for data science positions than other U.S. cities (between $146k and 171k), but there are very few applicants to each role. Sometimes, only one person applies to a position.
London and Munich are both home to a small number of data scientists per role, but they pay high salaries in EMEA (114k and 110k respectively). Tokyo has similar conditions in the APAC region (84k).
Report Methodology
This article is based on several sources of data, including Indeed, Glassdoor and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It also includes PayScale ZipRecruiter Gartner and Talent.com. Salary levels can vary depending on the experience level of the candidate, the date of posting and the details of the job. The prices are all in USD so that you can compare salaries across regions.