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The most in-demand Aussie jobs that barely existed 5 years ago

These are the jobs that have risen to prominence in the last five years. (Source: Getty)
These are the jobs that have risen to prominence in the last five years. (Source: Getty)

The workplace is a different place to what it was five years ago. Sectors that few people worked in previously are now booming, and jobs that once didn’t have a name are currently high in demand.

According to the experts at recruitment firm Michael Page, the digital and tech industries have seen a meteoric rise since 2015, as jobs – such as UX designer and data engineer – have become highly sought after by employers.

And with the OECD estimating that more than a third of Aussie jobs set to become obsolete by 2040, workers will have to pay attention to where jobs are growing.

Customers drive digital growth

The ‘digital’ sector in fact spans several sectors such as retail, tech start-ups, financial services as well as utilities and telecommunications.

At the heart of the growth in digital is the drive to better serve customers, making user experience (UX) designers important.

“UX designers put systems in place with improved usability, accessibility and enjoyment, resulting in higher levels of customer satisfaction,” the recruitment firm said in a post on its website.

These are the most in-demand jobs employers want in the digital sector, according to Michael Page’s Salary Benchmark 2020 report, and Payscale’s guide on how much the position commands:

  • Product owner/manager: $104,831

  • UX designer: $73,073

  • Email/CRM manager: $64,216

  • Marketing automation manager: $98,264

  • Digital performance manager/specialist: $82,924 (GlassDoor)

Tech continues to hire

While the rest of the job market struggles, jobs in the tech industry are growing at a rapid pace: by 2024, Australia will need an additional 100,000 workers in the technology sector, according to the Australian Computer Society.

The sectors demanding new technology are the public sector, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), financial services, and retail, according to Michael Page.

Seek figures show job opportunities for cloud architects have risen nearly fivefold by 7 per cent to 34 per cent in the last five years, and data scientist openings rose from 5 per cent to 38 per cent.

As cybersecurity becomes an ever-growing concern, six-figure jobs such as ‘chief cybersecurity officer’ will become more common, said Unisys cybersecurity industry business developer Gergana Kiryakova.

These are the most popular tech roles employers are seeking to fill:

  • Software development: $72,180

  • Development and operations (dev ops) engineer: $101,632

  • Cybersecurity: $76,876

  • Data engineer: $102,836

Late last year, LinkedIn crunched the numbers on the 15 fastest-growing ‘emerging’ jobs, and named roles such as artificial intelligence specialist, robotics engineer, customer success specialist and anti-money laundering specialist as some that have grown out of more traditional roles.

In July 2019, a joint report by Ford Australia, Deakin University and Griffith University named dozens of jobs that don’t yet exist but could end up on your resume one day, like blockchain talent analyst, genetics coach, media remixer, virtual clutter organiser, cyborg psychologist, bio-jacker, and ethical hacker.

Members of the workforce will have to work with robots, not compete with them for jobs, Deakin University professor and chair of science education Russell Tytler said.

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