Five In-Demand IT Jobs You Should Be Hiring for in 2023
Hiring Resources October 22, 2023
No matter the size or goals of a business, an IT department needs to be staffed with the right people–not only to keep operations running smoothly, but to protect organizations from cyberattacks and other costly disruptions.
IT professionals should have not only the right technical acumen, but also the necessary organizational, business, and people skills to be valuable assets to any company. Your employees and your revenue will be grateful when you have the right folks in the right roles.
Here are five in-demand IT jobs you should be hiring for in 2023.
Tier 2 Help Desk Support
The cloud, cybersecurity, AI, machine learning–lots of new tech terms have been thrown around the last several years, but that doesn’t mean the help desk role is extinct. As technology becomes more sophisticated, IT professionals in help desk positions are as important as ever in making sure users experience minimal disruptions while working.
Tier 2 help desk support has greater responsibilities than tier 1 help desk support for a number of reasons:
- Tier 2 solves the technical problems that tier 1 can’t solve–escalated incidents that require a more complex response.
- Tier 2 is responsible for explaining the incident and updating the knowledge base with details about why it happened and how it was resolved.
- Tier 2 installs network services and equipment on corporate devices.
Tier 2 help desk support also provides an additional layer of support that eases the burden of tier 1, which reduces stress in the IT department and minimizes the time it takes to solve your employees’ technical woes.
Regardless of tier, help desk is typically an end user-facing role. Whoever you hire for tier 2 help desk should have good people skills, patience, and a positive attitude when chatting with end users and addressing tickets.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), computer support specialist jobs are expected to grow by 5% from 2022-2032, which is “faster than average.”
Cloud Engineer
That said, the cloud, or cloud computing, is a big deal–so much so that a role exists for people who work with the cloud directly. If you haven’t yet hired a cloud engineer, you should strongly consider making it a priority.
Cloud computing is a way of providing all the IT resources an end user could want over the internet, without physical servers or data centers. Here are some services cloud computing saves time, money, and resources on:
- Storage
- Servers
- Databases
- Networking
- Software
- Analytics
Cloud engineers are responsible for building and maintaining all the cloud infrastructure that makes this experience possible. Here are some of their day-to-day responsibilities:
- Migrating computer systems to the cloud.
- Making sure software updates happen smoothly.
- Creating apps and databases on the cloud.
- Making sure the backup and storage of data is continuous and seamless.
American technological research and consulting firm Gartner reported in a 2022 study that public cloud services spending is expected to reach $598.1 billion in 2023.
IT Project Manager
Let’s face it, any IT project, big or small, is a massive undertaking. All the technical skills and knowhow in the world can’t be put to productive use without planning and organization.
An IT project manager is crucial for herding the cats and aligning IT projects with the goals of the business.
While technical skills are integral to the role, an IT project manager should have outstanding soft skills. Here are some of the typical responsibilities for this job:
- Setting the IT project plan, goals, and milestones.
- Assigning the different tasks to the right IT team members.
- Monitoring the plan’s progress.
- Planning and leading meetings about the project.
- Maintaining the budget and schedule.
- Ensuring collaboration between all IT team members.
- Informing key stakeholders of the project’s progress and any problems that might come up.
The Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification is considered the gold standard for project managers because it prepares individuals with the skills and fortitude necessary to be successful in this role, whether it’s IT or another discipline. When you’re headhunting for your ideal IT project manager, keep your eyes on the certifications portions of candidates’ resumes.
Cybersecurity Analyst
Did you hear that hotel and casino company Caesar Entertainment had to pay tens of millions of dollars to hackers who held their company data for ransom?
How about how MGM Resorts had to shut down their computer systems after a series of cyberattacks?
Or that the Pentagon is overhauling its cyberdefense strategy in response to some serious cyberattacks from Russia and China?
The bottom line is that cybersecurity (often grouped in with information security) is no longer a plus but a must in IT departments these days. Every company needs protection against the ever-present threat of cyberattacks.
Having a cybersecurity analyst in your IT department is a great start to protecting against threats and attacks. Here are some of their responsibilities:
- Monitoring IT infrastructure for incidents and breaches in security.
- Evaluating computer systems and networks for vulnerabilities.
- Fixing detected vulnerabilities.
- Documenting incidents, how they were fixed, and lessons learned from the incident.
Cybersecurity is a vast field with titles for analysts, engineers, ethical hackers, penetration testers, and more.
The BLS predicts a 32% job growth for information security analysts from 2022 to 2032.
Network Engineer
A computer network needs an expert at the helm, and that’s where the network engineer comes in. No matter the complexity of your IT needs and business needs, a network engineer is the answer to your computer network prayers.
A network engineer plans, creates, and oversees the computer network infrastructure of an organization. Here are some of their day-to-day responsibilities:
- Monitoring network performance
- Troubleshooting network issues
- Configuring and installing network devices
- Manages upgrades to systems, servers, and other equipment
Network engineer jobs are projected to grow by 2% from 2022 to 2032, according to the BLS.
The competition for hiring top tech talent is fierce. If you need help in finding the right candidates for open IT jobs at your company, K2 Staffing can help. We specialize in filling open IT roles at companies like yours. Contact us today.