• DevSkiller released its report with the most sought-after skills and HR-related challenges in tech
• Despite the growing popularity of AI, Java remains the most popular among employers and candidates
• In view of the growing labor shortage, organizations needs to attract candidates with a simplified hiring process and tangible opportunities for career growth

In early February, Polish HR tech company DevSkiller published its sixth annual report on desired IT skills in the coming year. The 2024 DevSkiller Report: Skills Management and Assessment aims at presenting a comprehensive guide for organizations operating in a dynamically evolving technological environment, offering valuable guidance and actionable advice on effective skills management and talent acquisition.

The research data came from a 365-day snapshot of the DevSkiller platform users between December 1, 2022, and December 1, 2023. The users have undergone 207,653 assessments on the platform. The platform aggregated generic demographic information, not linked to any specific information regarding certain candidates or companies.

The Growing Value of Human Capital

Overall, the report confirms the notion that the value of human capital is experiencing unprecedented growth. DevSkiller sees the rising popularity of tools like its TalentScore and TalentBoost (the former is a tool that streamlines the process of checking technical skills, and the latter module addresses key talent management challenges) as an evident illustration of a shift in organizational priorities towards investing in talent development as a means of sustaining competitive advantage and adapting to a rapidly advancing business landscape.

This trend reflects a broader recognition that the capabilities, innovation, and adaptability of a workforce are key to organizational success. As businesses increasingly rely on technology and innovative service offerings to meet customer demands, the need for a skilled, knowledgeable, and agile workforce has never been more pronounced. The investment in tools like DevSkiller, aimed at efficiently assessing and developing skills, symbolizes a deeper appreciation for the role of human capital in driving organizational growth and resilience. The growing reliance on platforms that facilitate continuous learning is not just a testament to the value of human capital; it’s a proactive response to the dynamic demands of the modern business environment,’ the company’s chief revenue officer Dimitris Adamidis believes.

The Lack of Career Growth Opportunities

That said, one of the curious findings of the report is that only 44% of HR leaders believe their organizations offer streamlined and attractive career paths. According to Mr Adamidis, the challenge of providing streamlined and attractive career paths is largely due to organizations viewing employee development costs as a burden rather than an investment.

‘In rapidly evolving sectors, reskilling and upskilling are crucial, yet financial concerns and a lack of commitment to L&D hinder the creation of compelling career progression opportunities. 

Efficient resource allocation remains a challenge despite many workers recognizing the annual need for skill updates, impacting the attractiveness of career paths. To address this, organizations must refocus their perspective on L&D, seeing it as a strategic investment that enhances competitive edge and meets evolving market demands,’ he explains.

In a competitive labor market, candidates will also prioritize companies that provide proper and tangible training and career development opportunities. This shift in priorities means that organizations need to integrate employee-focused training and advancement frameworks not as perks, but as essentials. Employees are now more than ever seeking clear, structured career paths for professional evolution and resources for continuous learning.

‘There’s also an emphasis on cultivating soft skills such as leadership and teamwork. Companies that invest in their employees’ growth not only attract top talent but also build a skilled, motivated workforce ready to propel the organization forward. This streamlined approach to career development is now a crucial determinant in attracting and retaining the best in the field and it is something we help our customers with every day,’ Mr Adamidis adds.

Competition for Labor in Tech

The report also talks about the skilled labor shortage. According to the speaker, there is a critical gap between the readiness for high school graduates to enter the workforce and the level of skill requirements on the organizational level. He sees the reason for such a gap in the way educational systems, historically, have focused more on academic achievement than on aligning skills with the evolving needs of the labor market.

‘The education of the past, while beneficial for immediate employment post-high school, did not prepare students for the changing nature of work or for pursuing higher education, contributing to systemic inequalities. Today, the landscape has shifted to require more advanced credentials for jobs that previously needed only a high school diploma. Addressing this issue is critical moving forward to better align educational outcomes with labor market demands,’ Mr Adamidis states.

As for the fitting candidates, the organizations compete for them, and such candidates may also often find organizations unattractive due to the convoluted interview process that takes too much time and steps. This hiring process, particularly in tech, is cluttered with hoops to jump through:screening assessments, behavioral interviews, technical interviews, etc. This leads to candidates dropping out along the way, which inevitably hurts a company’s chances of hiring an excellent engineer. On top of that, recruiters and hiring managers often spend way too much time on minor procedural tasks rather than focusing on the most important part – getting to know the candidate. 

‘As a hiring organization, it’s important to prioritize the meaningful steps of the hiring process while optimizing areas which are either monotonous or just unnecessary. To do this, you need to make use of technology which helps speed up the hiring process, such as screening coding skills with tech assessments. These assessments help hiring managers gauge a quick and reliable understanding of the candidate’s coding ability so they can either be accepted to move on or rejected right then and there,’ Mr Adamidis points out.

He lists an array of tools that recruiters can utilize to speed up the hiring decisions, such as Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) like TeamTailor or Workable or recruitment marketing platforms like SmashFly or Beamery. Many of such tools are leveraging AI increasingly which helps talent acquisition professionals to save time.

Some Figures: Sought-After Skills and Technology Competences

DevSkiller’s report does pay special attention to AI: the business world is naturally looking in this direction. According to the report’s numbers, Java remains at the top of the podium as the most sought-after technology competence, indicated by over 27% of respondents. Following closely are JavaScript (19%) and SQL (8.5%), with Python and .NET/C# also ranking high. AI and Big Data do gain popularity as the dynamic development of skills related to artificial intelligence is expected to change by as much as 65% by 2030 due to the increasing adoption of AI in various fields.

As for skills, the most frequently acquired skill on the DevSkiller platform turned out to be the Agile methodology, accounting for 27.12% of all training in 2023, indicating a growing demand for a flexible and adaptive approach to project management in the technology industry. Effective communication came second with a score of 16.12%, while broadly understood innovation remained at a high level of 15.16%.

‘Our report is a key guide for organizations operating in a dynamically evolving technological environment, offering valuable guidance on effective skills management and talent acquisition, in line with DevSkiller’s mission of using a transparent approach to skill-based talent management, thus unlocking the true potential of organizations and their employees,’ DevSkiller’s founder and CEO Jakub Kubryński concludes