A 2019 update of the most popular and in demand computer programmes worldwide.
Software engineers and software developers are still some of the most in demand positions globally. In the United States (US), and according to that country’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for software developers is expected to increase by 21% between 2018 and 2028, which is considerably faster than the average for all other occupations. Globally, and according to “Evans Data Corporation, there were 23 million software developers in 2018, this number is expected to reach 26,4 million by the end of 2019 and 27,7 million by 2023” (Source: Daxx).
However, and perhaps more importantly, there continues to be a considerable shortage of software developers globally. In the US, there are between 30,000 and 50,000 computer science graduates each year, but in 2017, there were over 500,000 open computing position, and that figure is estimated to jump to over 1 million by 2020 (Source: Full Scale).
It also means – if by chance you missed the point – that software development will continue to be a lucrative and in-demand career avenue into the foreseeable future. It also suggests, noting the demand for those skills, that existing positions may require prospective and current employees to have some computer programming skills, in addition to whatever might be their area of expertise.
What are the programming languages that are in demand?
Similar to previous years, there is no definitive list of the most in-demand programming languages. Factors such as the questions posed, the emphasis of the survey administrator, the source of the survey participants, along with their geographic location, to name a few, can influence the findings recorded. As a result, we have examined a number of respected resources that track such data, and have summarised the results in the table below.
Exhibit 1: Top programing languages for 2019 (Sources: Tiobe, IEEE, Stack Overflow, PYPL Index)
Similar to previous years, there is some commonality across the various lists, and especially with respect to the top five:
- Java
- Python
- JavaScript
- Members of the C family, especially C and C++.
These programming languages are tried and tested, and tend to be sufficiently versatile to build, among other things:
- mobile/cellular applications
- website development
- scientific computing
- data mining
- machine learning
- server-side applications
- system/application software
- games
- drivers
- client-server applications
- embedded firmware.
These outputs/applications are integral to computing, and to the various ways in which we leverage technology, which are likely to become even more important as areas such as the Internet of Things and big data, continue to develop and become the norm.
Honourable mentions
Although it might be prudent to pay attention to the top five applications, the rest of the list should not be ignored, as the languages included may offer a distinct competition advantage to those who are proficient in them. Three of them to note are:
- Go: Created by engineers at Google, Go is a simple and user-friendly language that is frequently used in the enterprise space to build large scale, and highly scalable complex software. Some have opined that Go will be the server language of the future.
- MATLAB: MATLAB is a powerful application that used in the engineering, science, and economics fields to compute and to model complex formulae. Users can develop codes and applications, particularly in languages such as C, C++, C#, Java, Fortran and Python., that can interface with MATLAB, further broadening and deepening its versatility.
- Swift: Created by Apple, Swift is used for all of the Operating Systems needed to support the broad range devices the company manufactures. As a result, it is also a popular language to develop mobile applications for iOS, and is popular among developers for its simplicity and concise nature, and the faster build that it facilitates.
Image credit: Markus Spiske temporausch.com (Pexels)
