4 job hunting trends tech workers need to know about for 2024

All of the changes and shifts we’ve seen in 2023 look set to continue through 2024, and if you’re planning on making a career move, last year’s learnings promise to give you the edge through the application process and beyond. 

So what tech trends are set to inform the job hunting process in 2024? First off, Motion Recruitment’s 2024 Tech Salary Guide outlines some of the job roles that are set to be in the highest demand over the next 12 months.

Development, IT Management, DevOps, Engineering and Security are listed as the top roles, with Cyber Security highlighted as an in-demand skill across many sectors, not just tech. 

In terms of broader trends for the year, the report outlines several points relevant to the recruitment process.

1. Tech jobs outnumber tech talent

While this is ostensibly a good thing, promoting low unemployment in the sector and ensuring laid-off workers are able to find new placement quickly, an excess of available roles also has the potential to create difficulty. 

Competition for the highest-paying roles can promote salary-hopping, widening the skills gap and creating a vacuum for companies unable to compete in the market, which can in turn be detrimental to growth. 

For 2024, focus on upskilling and on your own long-term viability, so that you can stay on solid ground for longer. 

2. Flexibility is in demand

Much of 2023 was driven by talk of how the remote work experiment had failed, led in particular by leaders including Sam Altman and Elon Musk, and that a mass return-to-office is the future of tech and other sectors. 

However, according to the Tech Salary Guide, only 28% of workers feel their company makes attending the office worthwhile. On the flip side, a significant majority of younger workers are invested in office work. 

Meanwhile, there is incontrovertible evidence that hybrid work is more profitable and more efficient. 

The debate promises to continue through 2024, but in terms of the jobs market, companies with hybrid provisions will continue to be more attractive to workers. 

3. Jobs market correctional course

As noted, salary-hopping has the potential to create a skills gap and drive up personnel costs, but certain areas of the jobs market are adapting to these challenges. 

By actively seeking suitably qualified junior candidates with long-term potential, companies are investing in people for their careers, which will upskill the next generation of tech professionals. 

4. AI, AR and More

Perhaps it goes without saying at this stage that AI is not going to replace us, but it will adapt the way we work massively. We are still at the beginning of that transformation, with many companies and teams still exploring the tools as they currently exist, and experimenting with what is possible. 

2024 has the potential to see a great leap forward in this area, with AR tools providing a new level of technical innovation and creativity in engineering, design, admin, data-driven decision making and so much more. What also goes without saying is that the workers who keep the pace will always have the edge on fellow applicants. 

If 2024 is your year to take the next step in your career, the nextpit Job Board features some of the best-known tech companies in the field, including these three.

There are currently roles at Oracle across the USA, Canada, UK, Europe and beyond. From advancing energy efficiency to reimagining online commerce, Oracle aims to affect change in business and technology, by protecting governments, powering non-profits, and giving billions of people the tools they need to outpace change. The company’s ethos is one of inclusivity, individuality and embracing the differences that make each of us who we are. 

As the private space and aeronautics industry continues to soar worldwide, there are many positions available in the sector, including at Boeing Intelligence and Analytics. Based in Annapolis, Maryland, the company is dedicated to advancing the careers of its internal workforce, while innovating analytics and intelligence methods to deliver seamless solutions to tomorrow’s challenges. Applicants in software engineering, cyber analytics and more are sought.

Staying in the defense and aeronautics sector, one of the biggest names is Northrop Grumman, which is seeking applicants for several hundred roles across a wide variety of locations via the nextpit Job Board today. With more than 97,000 team members worldwide, a role here will see you defining what is possible every day using science, technology and engineering to deliver advanced systems in security services worldwide. 

Start your job search today via the nextpit Job Board. This article was written by Doug Whelan.