Which Tech Skills Are Dominating the US Job Market? Insights from Indeed’s 5‑Year Study
An analysis of Indeed's 2014‑2019 job‑posting data reveals that SQL, Java, and Python lead the demand rankings, while AWS, Azure, Docker, and machine‑learning skills show explosive growth, and traditional technologies like Oracle and .NET are rapidly declining.
Background
Indeed, a US job‑search platform, analyzed millions of job postings from 2014 to 2019, extracting 571 computer‑skill keywords. The study, cited by IEEE Spectrum, aims to identify which technical skills have been most in demand in the American job market.
Top Ranked Skills
The ranking shows SQL at #1, Java at #2, and Python at #3. Linux and JavaScript occupy the fourth and fifth positions, while AWS jumps to #6.
Trend Interpretation
Indeed uses color coding to indicate growth: green > 10 % increase, yellow ≤ 10 % increase, red > 10 % decrease.
Green background indicates growth greater than 10 %.
Yellow background indicates growth of 10 % or less.
Red background indicates a decline greater than 10 %.
Rapidly Rising Skills: Python and AWS
Python’s share grew by 123 % and AWS’s by 418 % over the five‑year period. If current trends continue, both are likely to reach the top spot within one to two years.
Python’s surge is driven mainly by the explosion of data‑science and data‑engineering roles, where the language is a standard tool. AWS’s growth is linked to the rise of full‑stack developers and DevOps engineers who rely on cloud services for deployment and infrastructure.
Dark Horses: Azure and Docker
Azure (currently #17) and Docker (currently #20) show the most dramatic increases, with Azure up 1107 % and Docker up 4162 % since 2014. Azure now holds the second‑largest share of the global cloud‑service market after AWS, while Docker remains a popular container engine among developers.
Other Notable Trends
Machine‑learning skills rose from 1.3 % to 7.0 % of postings, a 493 % increase.
Skills that declined sharply (red zones) include Oracle (‑38 %), HTML (‑17 %), SQL Server (‑17 %), and .NET (‑15 %).
Conclusions
The data suggest that demand for cloud platforms, containerization, and data‑science tools is accelerating, while some traditional enterprise technologies are losing traction. Professionals aiming to stay competitive should consider strengthening Python, AWS, Azure, Docker, and machine‑learning capabilities.
References
https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/at-work/tech-careers/sql-java-top-list-of-most-indemand-tech-skills
https://www.hiringlab.org/2019/11/19/today's-top-tech-skills/
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