Dive Brief:
- Postings for IT specialists, software engineers and technical support specialists dominate the list of top entry-level jobs in tech, according to data from Indeed. The company evaluated which entry-level roles had the highest percentage of postings on its site in January 2021.
- Employers also looked for help desk analysts, IT support and entry-level software engineers to backfill their talent needs. The full list includes an assortment of junior developer, technician and analyst roles.
- The report identified the most sought-after skills employers aspired for in entry-level workers. Communication skills, Microsoft Office and customer service chops make up the top three abilities on hiring managers' shopping lists.
Dive Insight:
A strong pipeline of technical talent relies on entry-level workers who can evolve within the organization, expanding skills as their tenure grows.
Business appetite for tech roles is on a clear and persistent growth path through the end of the decade, according to projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The government agency found higher financial impact of the pandemic led to stronger demand for information security analysts, software engineers and computer scientists, among other roles.
"Increased telework will drive demand for information technology (IT) and computer-related occupations," the agency found.
Best entry-level roles according to Indeed.com
| Rank | Entry-level role |
|---|---|
| 1 | IT specialist |
| 2 | Software engineer |
| 3 | Technical support specialist |
| 4 | Help desk analyst |
| 5 | IT support |
| 6 | Entry-level software engineer |
| 7 | System engineer |
| 8 | IT technician |
| 9 | Entry-level test engineer |
| 10 | Entry-level developer |
| 11 | QA analyst |
| 12 | IT security specialist |
| 13 | DevOps engineer |
| 14 | Application developer |
| 15 | Tech support representative |
SOURCE: Indeed.
To meet their talent demands, companies will need to become employers of choice, leaning on flexibility to attract workers who could otherwise have their pick of roles in the market. One way CIOs can help their organizations stand out is by shaping a collaborative company culture that connects tech to the broader organization.
Culture is key, and executives are responsible for building a culture people need to be a part of, said David Edwards, CIO at affordable housing nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners, in an interview earlier this month.
"Technology is everywhere," said Edwards. "These engineers and [administrators], they can work almost anywhere." Good company culture can help attract new talent and retain the existing talent within the company.
