These IT Skills Remain Important in Recessions

The landscape of IT jobs has been impacted quite considerably by rampant inflation, and the ensuing recession looks like it will be continuing to reduce jobs in this sector with all things having been considered and taken into account. In spite of the fact that this is the case, there are some IT related roles that are famously resistant to the effects of a recession, and focusing on preparing for such roles can help IT workers tide over the troublesome period that is coming up.


Tech layoffs have been leaving many IT workers without gainful employment. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that some of the skills mentioned below are going to be great options for IT workers who have recently found themselves without a job.

1. Cryptography

It’s not just cryptocurrency that requires a number of tech workers who specialize in cryptography. Data encryption has become a much needed feature for many programs, and cryptography experts are crucial for the privacy that such encryption can provide. Roles that require cryptography have seen a 20% increase in terms of their overall value this past year alone, and chances are that the numbers will continue to go up.

2. Azure Key Vault

Many analysts have noted a 19% uptick in Azure Key Vault related roles over the course of 2022. This cloud service is a pivotal component of secure storage of sensitive data. This includes things like passwords, API data, as well as keys to various security protocols that cryptography experts might have put into place.

3. Security Auditing

Cybersecurity has become a top priority for almost every single major corporation as well as small to medium businesses. Specializing in security auditing can be helpful because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making you suitable for such high paying roles. The market value for security auditing specalists has risen by as much as 20% in the span of a year. Such skills can come in handy for a wide array of business roles, so employees can broaden their horizons by looking into this sphere.

4. Identity and Access Management

The pandemic brought a lot of seismic changes to many industries. One of these changes was that remote work became an increasingly prevalent method for employees to complete their daily tasks. While this created a host of opportunities for improved work life balance, it had the added side effect of causing some security issues as well. IAM specialists can help ensure that remote workers don’t create any gaps or weaknesses in cybersecurity protocols, so it’s not surprising that such roles have seen a 6% increase in market value this past year.

5. Penetration Testing

This is a role that has seen one of the most impressive market value increases in 2022. With a 21.4% increase being seen so far, penetrating testing has turned into a hot item for tech workers who want to branch out into new roles, find new challenges and ideally earn a bit more money. DDoS attacks have seen an enormous increase this year, and penetration testing can help companies to enlist ethical hackers who can stress test their various cybersecurity protocols.

6. Risk Analytics

Tech workers are unique in that they can assume a number of different roles within a given organization. With risk analytics, a tech specialist can branch out into the field of business intelligence. This is a field with a lot of scope, and roles related to the field have seen their market value go up by around 6% this year and it might be even higher next year than might have been the case otherwise.

7. AI

If there is one field of tech that is constantly generating a lot of buzz that goes beyond the hype cycle, it is AI. AI is also an exceptionally fast growing field, with around 33% of all tech roles advertised this year requiring some level of AI knowhow. Becoming an expert in AI related skills can enable tech works to become more nimble, since they would be eligible for a far larger set of roles. With average salaries dipping into the $150,000 range, it’s definitely understandable that AI is seeing such growth.

H/T: Footepartners

Read next: Is the Gig Economy Creating New Cybersecurity Problems?
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