Where to learn IT

The imperfection of education and the development of technology will lead to a shortage of personnel.

In the coming years, the labor market may face a sharp decline in the number of qualified specialists. In particular, there will be growing demand for IoT developers, IT lawyers, roboethics consultants, and digital producers. This is stated in an HSE report dedicated to the digital economy. The decrease in qualified specialists is caused not only by developing technologies but also by existing problems in the field of education. Labor market experts do not deny the shortage of IT specialists, but they believe that concerns about scarcity are exaggerated.

The demand for specialists will be especially felt in the fields of robotics, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality. There will be high demand for professionals capable of performing multifunctional tasks—managing people, communicating with contractors, seeking innovative solutions, and developing methodologies. In other words, possessing qualities not typical of machines.

HSE experts have compiled a list of promising professions that will be in high demand in the near future. For example, an Internet of Things specialist must ensure the connection of numerous devices, optimize data storage, process and transmit information. Another relevant profession is that of a data security engineer, responsible for ensuring confidentiality, encryption, and preventing unauthorized access to information. IT lawyers will also be in demand to support businesses in the digital economy.

Among the professions of the future, roboethics stands out. Such a specialist must understand the moral, ethical, social, and legal aspects of human-robot relations, and develop solutions to issues such as defining areas of responsibility for the "actions" of machines, as well as the rights and freedoms of robotic systems. In the near future, digital marketers and producers will also emerge, HSE experts say with confidence.

At the same time, some currently popular professions may disappear from the market—for example, translators, call center operators, tour operators, archivists, bank clerks, cashiers, credit managers, and so on. According to HSE experts, by 2030 about 375 million workers, representing 14% of the global workforce, will be forced to change their profession.

Nevertheless, fears about a decrease in the number of IT specialists are greatly exaggerated. Big data and artificial intelligence are newly emerging industries, and it is understandable that there is a shortage of specialists in these fields. According to experts, despite the buzz around these directions, finding a job in such areas is quite difficult. It should also be noted that the number of highly qualified specialists in this sphere is not large, which is why the situation in the labor market will improve alongside the development of the industry, the increase of training programs, and the growth of specialists’ self-education.