Emerging Jobs in 2020 | Job Descriptions and Insights

Taking a cursory look at these emerging jobs reveals a number of interesting trends. The importance of new technologies like artificial intelligence and automation has become abundantly clear, with all of Australia‘s top five emerging jobs (Artificial Intelligence Specialist, Cybersecurity Specialist, Marketing Automation Specialist, Robotics Engineer and Site Reliability Engineer) requiring skills relating to these technologies. 

It is also clear that the definition of a “tech job” no longer applies solely to roles requiring hard tech skills. Instead, many tech roles are actually quite customer-centric, such as in the field of relationship management. Similarly, the report illustrates how industries are changing, with data analysis skills, for example, now being necessary across all industries and not just in the tech industry. All of this indicates that there is a greater need for humans with strong tech and soft skills who can bridge the gap between man and machine.

So what are the specific roles we’ll see more of in the future, and how can you develop the skills necessary to excel in them?  

It’s no surprise that an artificial intelligence role tops the list, given the growing importance of AI. 

AI specialists work on getting machines to learn and problem solve, rather than just retain information. The necessary skills for this role include machine learning, deep learning, Python and computer vision. 

With technology becoming more advanced, cybersecurity attacks are also becoming more sophisticated.

Cybersecurity specialists are tasked with keeping computer networks secure against cyber crime like phishing, malware, viruses and hacking. Skills in network security, penetration testing and Splunk are essential. Some courses for those interested in cybersecurity include:

This emerging job combines both technical and creative skills, combining digital technology with traditional marketing skills.

The role of a Marketing Automation Specialist is to generate and nurture leads, analyse workflow and suggest improvements to the marketing strategy. Useful skills include a strong grasp of Marketo, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, email marketing and CRM marketing. Some courses to develop your marketing skills include:

Software engineering continues to be an in-demand field, with robotics engineers being an emerging specialisation.

These professionals develop and deploy software known as Robotics Process Automation (RPA) which is used to automate business tasks. Skills in the programming languages C and Python will go a long way, as will UiPath and Automation Anywhere skills. Some courses for budding robotics engineers to consider include:

With customers expecting dynamic and responsive apps and websites, it’s no wonder the role of site reliability engineer has emerged. This hybrid role involves both software engineering and system administration skills to keep apps and websites running smoothly. With skills in DevOps, Go and Linux being essential, learners can consider:

Customer success specialists work proactively to understand client needs.

They achieve this by using skills in customer relationship management, account management and customer retention to improve their organisation’s offering. Some of the courses most valuable to aspiring customer success specialists include:

Data science has been a thriving discipline for several years now, with the role only continuing to grow.

Data scientists extract meaningful and actionable insights from big data, using their skills in machine learning, Python, and Apache Spark to help inform business decisions. To enter data science, consider completing a:

While data scientists mine for insights, data engineers build the mines for these insights to be found.

Data engineers will require a solid grasp of Apache Spark, Python and Amazon Web Services. Explore your data engineering skills through completing:

Growth managers use growth hacking techniques to convert more buyers or users to a product or service.

A sound knowledge of data, marketing and business is needed, with some essential skills include business development, social media marketing and account management. To kickstart your growth management career, consider studying:

While chief revenue officers and chief financial officers are a common sight across global corporations, chief strategy officers are a new addition to many teams.

This emerging role involves developing strategies for business growth. Some of the required skills include mergers and acquisition, management consulting and strategic partnerships. To make your mark in this up-and-coming role, consider these courses:

This interesting position has emerged as money laundering and fraud becomes increasingly more technological.

These financial professionals prevent money laundering and establish compliance policies. Some of the necessary skills include fraud investigations, Capture the Flag (CTF) and risk management, with some courses to consider including:

The role of a product owner is quite a hybrid, combining the roles of a market analyst, project management, product designer, and business strategist.

Blending hard and soft skills like stakeholder management, Agile methodologies and product management, some of the courses to consider including:

Service design is another highly customer-centric field that is starting to emerge, with service designers working to improve the customer experience.

Some valuable skills include user experience, design thinking and customer experience design . To develop these skills, consider studying:

Full stack engineers combine front-end web development skills with software development know-how to run projects.

These skills are in incredibly high demand across start-ups and huge corporates alike. Some necessary skills include JavaScript, Amazon Web Services and AngularJS. Hone in on these skills with these courses:

With automation continuing to become the norm, it’s no surprise that this entry is on the list.

Automation consultants introduce software and digital processes to organisations, using their skills in Jira, UiPath and RPA to help businesses automate routine tasks. Some worthwhile courses include:

By being aware of the most pivotal emerging jobs, you can set yourself up for a future-proof career. Dive headlong into a an exciting new role by studying the right course and developing the necessary skills to thrive in it.