TwitterFacebookLinkedInPinterestEmail

It’s approaching the end of the year, so there’s a good chance you’re looking for a new job. Although looking for your next career is daunting and often quite uncertain given the competitive nature these days, there’s good a bit of good news for people who possess 2017’s in-demand workplace skills.

According to LinkedIn, October / November is the time of the year when they see a spike in job applications or employee research conducted by businesses on the well known social networking site. To find out what exactly recruiters or business are looking for and the skills that commonly results in a successfully landing a job, LinkedIn analysed all of the hiring the recruiting activity that has occurred in 2016 so far.

After looking at billions of data points, below are the top 10 most in-demand workplace skills that will make you an attractive contender should you ever apply for a job in 2017:

2017’s top 10 in-demand workplace skills

1. Storage Systems and Management: Improving computer data storage and access
2. SEO/SEM Marketing: Search Engine Optimisation and Search Engine Marketing improves web search rankings
3. Data presentation: Employers increasingly need people who can organise data so it’s easy to understand
4. Mobile development: Skills like app development fit into the ‘Mobile Development’ category
5. Network and Information Security: As the Internet of Things develops, security is becoming more important
6. User Interface Design: Creating software that people interact with is becoming more important
7. Middleware and Integration Software: Middleware enables communication between software programs

8. Web Architecture and Development: Building websites that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional
9. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining: Employers increasingly need people to find and make sense of data
10. Cloud and Distributed Computing: People who can develop and maintain these networks are the most in-demand

It’s clear to see a solid technology / data theme demand that’ll cross over to 2017. LinkedIn career expert Catherine Fisher weighs in on the analysis: “While some skills expire every couple of years, our data strongly suggests that tech skills will still be needed for years to come, in every industry,” she says.

“Now is a great time for professionals to acquire the skills they need to be more marketable.”

This heavy emphasis on technology based is due to the market trends on what workplaces need to increasingly satisfy their audience pool, and what areas are slowly becoming redundant.