Dive Brief:
- SQL emerged as the top programming language businesses searched for in job applicants this year, ascending from the No. 10 spot last year, according to IEEE Spectrum’s ranking of top programming languages, which sampled 400 job applications from CareerBuilder and IEEE Jobs.
- Despite taking the crown, SQL was commonly desired in addition to another language. SQL was closely followed by Java, with Python ranking third, according to the report.
- While these languages are most useful for job applicants, the rankings also suggest that these are the languages most needed for businesses today. SQL is a data-focused programming language; Python is regularly used for data science and engineering as it relates to ML; and Java is generally used to construct applications in computers and data centers.
Dive Insight:
Businesses are hungry for data insights — insights to inform and improve decisions about everything from investments to hiring.
The rising demand for data-focused programming languages is not new, nor is it surprising.
In 2020, tech employees with data-focused programming language skills were paid more on average, according to a report from Upwork.
For years, Python has been praised for its capabilities and championed by tech giant Netflix. The company boasted about the programming language’s ability to easily execute ML projects through production and security automation use cases.
More than half of professional developers currently use SQL, according to a Stack Overflow survey. Python is used by over four in 10 developers, and Java is used by a third, according to the survey.
Big data can cost businesses big money, but it also drives value. Nearly two-thirds of IT leaders attribute revenue gains and new business opportunities to data technologies deployed in the last three years, according to a Foundry report.
As the talent crisis rages on, businesses are prioritizing data, putting tech employees with data-focused programming language skills in the most coveted position.
