Increased digitisation, the home office, evolving business models and the global "Great Resignation" have all reshaped the recent business world, giving rise to a smorgasbord of job titles that didn't exist five years ago.
It's an exciting time to set yourself up as a professional in one of today's fastest growing fields. So, what exactly are they?
The past year has given us a lot of useful data to help you choose a career path that's future-proof, and to find the education to match:
- the State of Australia's Skills 2021: Now and Into the Future Report,
- the LinkedIn 2022 Jobs on the Rise List, and
- the Labour Market Insights Report on Employment Projections to 2026.
These helpful reports paint a clear picture of where your skills are going to be needed, and what kind of skills you should be developing for a career in business over the next few years.
Let's take a look at some of the top jobs for a future career in business in Australia.
The top 7 in-demand careers
Systems Architects and Administrators
According to the latest government employment data, the occupations of 'Database and Systems Administrators, and ICT Security Specialists' will experience a huge 38.9% growth in demand for skilled professionals between now and November 2026. This is the highest percentage growth rate out of any profession in the country.
At present, this under-represented and highly trained skill set is already in huge demand. According to data from Seek, the Systems Architect role commands an average salary of $150,000, and has a projected growth rate of 30% over the next five years. Setting yourself up for a career as a Systems Architect or Administrator will guarantee a quick trajectory to success in the years to come.
This trend reported from LinkedIn has also been noticed by the Australian Government. In the latest Labour Market Insights employment projections, Human Resources are listed as one of the top in-demand growth occupations, with demand for this role projected to grow by 16.3%, to 2026. HR is going to be one of the biggest future-proof fields of the next five years as it evolves to meet the needs of newly decentralised organisations with online workforces.
ICT Security Experts
Government employment statistics project huge growth for the field 'Database and Systems Administrators, and ICT Security Specialists.' According to their numbers, will be opening up in this booming field over the next four years.
With cyberattacks and hacks in the last year reaching a global all-time high, businesses are increasingly nervous. As a result, a 2022 survey of over 4,000 Australian executives by Accenture shows that 84% of large firms are increasing their cyber-security budget within the next several years. There is going to be a lot of work to do for anyone with this skill set.
Software and Apps Developers
Right at number two (after Health and Aged Care Workers) on the government's current list of occupations with the highest growth in demand are 'Software and Applications Programmers', with a huge projected growth rate of 27%, expected to November 2026. This means that an additional 42,200 software and app developer jobs will need to be filled in order to meet business demand, in addition to the existing pool of approximately 156,200 people already working in this role in Australia.
AI and Machine Learning Engineer
Number two on LinkedIn's Jobs on the Rise list is the title of Machine Learning Engineer, and it's easy to see why. Over the past 20 years, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) occupations have consistently grown at more than twice the rate of non-STEM occupations. Much of that growth is driven by digitisation and new IoT technologies, a trend that was only accelerated during the pandemic. Machine Learning and AI are at the forefront of this digital revolution, and businesses in 2022 are only just beginning to capitalise on its full potential. AI and Machine Learning is a booming field in business and tech, both globally and locally.
Management and Organisation Analysts
Alongside the STEM careers, jobs requiring soft skills and competencies, such as organisation, analytical thinking, management and communication, are also going to be in huge demand over the next few years. In fact, a Deloitte survey stated that soft-skill intensive professions will make up approximately two-thirds of all jobs in Australia by 2030.
Right now with so many organisations undergoing restructuring after coronavirus, it's essential for many businesses to better understand and build on their organisational capacity. As a result, Management and Organisation Analysts are listed on the top 10 in demand jobs list from the National Skills Commission. This role has an anticipated growth rate of 32.3% from 2021 to 2026.
Content Creation and Digital Design
From User Experience (UX) Designers to Social Media Content Creators, digital designers and creators on all levels are in increasing demand, in Australia and worldwide. UX Designers come in at number eight on the 2022 Linkedin Jobs on the Rise List, while their 2019 Future of Jobs Australia Report also listed Product Designers (including UX Designers) as number four on their top 15 growth careers.
According to those earlier estimates, Product Designer was a profession shooting up with a job openings growth rate of 86%, and a Career Advancement Score of nine out of ten. Similarly, Marketing and Advertising (which encompasses content creation) features as one of the highest national growth fields in the Future of Jobs report, with a rate of 13% to 2025. Digital content is now moving increasingly into video as TikTok explodes on the scene, so this is going to be an exciting space for anyone who wants a creative marketing career.
Data Scientists, Analysts or Engineers
Data specialists have consistently shown up on LinkedIn's high growth jobs reporting for Australia over the last few years, because there's an enduring demand for this highly trained skill set in our data-rich world. The LinkedIn 2019 future of jobs report showed a 56% year-on-year growth in demand for Data Scientists, while Data Engineer is number five on their 2022 list of Jobs on the Rise.
This echoes a global trend, as businesses race to tap into the competitive advantage they can gain from putting to use the 2.5 quintillion bytes of customer data collected every day. The global IT Skills Report by DevSkiller surveys ICT recruiters from over 120 countries, including Australia. Their latest report recorded a 295% increase in the number of data science-related tasks recruiters were setting for candidates in the interview process during 2021, compared to the previous year. That's a huge boom in demand for data skills. Human Resources, Talent and Hiring Specialist
Three of the top 15 Linkedin "Jobs on the Rise" for 2022 are job titles focused around finding, hiring and onboarding new talent: Chief Human Resources Officer, Talent Acquisition Specialist, and Workforce Specialist. All signs say that it's a great time to go into a career in HR.
We've looked at some the major employment landscape reports and the in-demand jobs of the future. Now is the time to find the education to match. Invest in yourself and start your career journey with a business degree.
