ISACA Study: More than 10 Million Jobs Open

Computer science, data analysis, and artificial intelligence among the top in-demand skills

IT and emerging tech skills are in high demand, with more than 10 million related jobs open in the U.S., according to a new study ISACA conducted through Lightcast, a leading authority in labor market analytics.

As part of this research, Lightcast analyzed billions of data points from sources like online job postings and professional social media profiles to identify ISACA-enabled job demand and talent supply, or those occupations with core job functions or skill requirements directly related to specific ISACA certifications’ learning outcomes.

New research shows IT and emerging tech skills are needed to support up to 10 million open U.S. jobs

Results found that the IT and emerging tech knowledge advanced by ISACA’s IT Certified Associate (ITCA) and Certified in Emerging Technology (CET) professional job aligned credentials is increasingly sought after by organizations across the U.S., which can be seen in the fact that LinkedIn job postings that mention artificial intelligence (AI) or generative AI have more than doubled in the past two years. Among the findings of the report:

• Skills such as data ethics and DevSecOps are forecasted to grow in demand between 100% and 250% over the next five years, while demand for AI is expected to grow up to 450% over that period.
• Computer science was included in more than 1.6 million online job postings in the latest 12 months of data availability.
• Twelve million ITCA-skill-related jobs were posted in 2022.

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The top in-demand IT and emerging tech skills that are enabled by ITCA and CET are:

1. Computer science
2. Data analysis
3. Agile methodology
4. Data entry
5. Automation
6. Javascript
7. Artificial intelligence
8. Application programming interface (API)
9. Information systems

When examining the CET certification, the study found that CET-enabled job posting demand—or the skills and knowledge that the CET credential helps job candidates procure—has been on a consistent upward trend since 2015, peaking at 5.9 million position openings in 2021. Among the top demanded skills that fall within the CET realm are data analysis, JavaScript, and artificial intelligence (AI), which had more than one million online job postings in the most recent 12 months of data availability. Additionally:

• CET-enabled job ecosystem—those within the realm of jobs that are enabled by the skills that CET offers—accounted for 15% of the total U.S. labor market job demand in the latest 12 months of data availability.
• On average, CET-enabled demand is projected to grow between 11-12 percent in the next five years.
• The average salary premium—or average extra yearly salary amounts companies are willing to pay for certain skills—for the CET certification is US $5,800 but can grow to $15,000 for specific skills. For example, the average salary premium for Internet of Things (IoT) is $15,880, and for cloud, it is $14,348.

Looking at the ITCA certification, the study revealed that ITCA-enabled job posting demand has been increasing at a 10 percent year-over-year growth rate since 2015, peaking at 12 million open jobs in 2022. Computer science, data analysis, and Agile methodology have been the most demanded skills in the ITCA realm, with more than one million online job postings in the most recent 12 months of data availability. Additionally:

• The ITCA-enabled job ecosystem—those within the realm of jobs that are enabled by the skills that ITCA offers—accounted for 26% of total U.S. labor market job demand in the latest 12 months of data availability.
• On average, ITCA-enabled demand is projected to grow between 3% to 4% in the next five years.
• The average salary premium for the ITCA certification is $1,200 but can increase to $27,000 for specific skills such as DevSecOps.

“Demand for the knowledge and experience validated by the ITCA and CET credentials are in strong demand,” said Shannon Donahue, ISACA senior vice president, publishing. “For those looking to kickstart a strong career or transition to an in-demand field, these credentials are excellent resources job candidates can demonstrate to position themselves for success.”

“Our workforce is facing technological change with a speed and scope that is unprecedented,” said Will Markow, Vice President of Applied Research at Lightcast. “Job candidates and organizations that constantly evolve their skills, and pursue credentials aligned with emerging capabilities, are best positioned to adapt in the face of constant change.”

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