Most In Demand Tech Skills Include JavaScript, Java and Python

With the five most in-demand tech jobs in 2018 all being different flavors of developers, it’s no surprise that the skills employers are most looking for include only programming and markup languages. Our latest data reveals  the top five most in-demand skills for tech jobs in 2018 to be:

1. JavaScript
2. Java
3. Python
4. HTML
5. CSS

Whether you’re a new developer or have been honing your skills for years, these are the languages to focus on as you grow your career—and brush up on before your next technical interview.

JavaScript takes the cake

Our latest data shows JavaScript to be the most in-demand programming language, which is no surprise given its popularity across the world. As a two-sided marketplace that helps the most innovative companies find tech talent, we are seeing this skill rise the ranks of ‘must-have’ abilities as companies evaluate which potential hires will add the most value to their technical teams. According to Octoverse, GitHub’s annual developer report, there were 2.3M pull requests on GitHub in JavaScript—more than twice the pull requests as Python, the second most popular language. Still further, Redmonk’s June 2017 programming language rankings, which take into account data from both GitHub and Stack Overflow, also indicate JavaScript to be the most popular language.

…not to be confused with Java

Java comes in second to JavaScript, having fallen since its early days as the frontrunner. In fact, JavaScript was named as such in order to borrow some of Java’s popularity in the 1990’s. Java is also ranked second according to the Redmonk data, and only barely falls behind Python in terms of pull requests in 2017.

Given its ability to handle huge amounts of data, it’s no surprise Java is still a popular programming language, particularly with the recent rise of Big Data across virtually every industry. So while it may seem old school, it’s worth prioritizing Java—particularly over trendier, but often less useful, languages.

Python

Taking the second slot for GitHub pull requests in 2017, is undeniable that  Python is also high on companies’ lists. Flexible and good for beginners, Python is a primary language for top tech companies include Google and Dropbox.

Further, Python is a key language in machine learning and AI, which nearly every company seems to be focused on today. Google and Facebook’s popular machine learning libraries are both written in Python, but it also stands the test of time, coming about in 1991—four years before Java and JavaScript.

HTML

Given that HTML is a markup—not a programming—language, it’s hard to compare it to the others on this list in terms of popularity, but there’s no denying HTML is a key skill for tech companies everywhere. And it’s often required of those in roles outside of engineering, such as in product management or even some marketing roles, so it’s not a bad idea to brush up on your HTML regardless of which type(s) of tech roles you’re targeting.

CSS

A level above HTML but still a fundamental language, CSS takes the #5 spot on our most-demanded list—not far from number seven, where it comes in on the GitHub and Redmonk reports. While HTML is more related to the structural elements of a web page, CSS is responsible for the visual aspects that a user interacts with—so given their close interaction, it’s no surprise that companies are looking for employees with fluency in both.

Focus on skills relevant to the roles and companies you’re targeting

While it can be tempting to jump right into learning the most demanded skills, there may be others that are a better use of your time—but it really depends on which types of roles and companies you’d like to work for. Spend some time investigating in order to prioritize the skills most relevant to you, and remember that practice makes perfect, whether at work or on your own time, so take into account both your own preferences and what companies are looking for when deciding how to spend your time.