Demand for certain skills has risen sharply in the FinTech industry which is projected to grow due to changes in consumer behaviour brought about by Covid-19. While hard skills are vital, employers are increasingly looking for people with business acumen and innovative thinking.

Photo: mindandi, freepik.com

1. Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Technology

Considering the growth of e-payments, the demand for expertise in blockchain and distributed ledger technology is set to grow. A recent study by US job site Hired, showed that demand for engineers in this arena was up by 517 per cent.

2. Data Science and Analysis

Data gathering, cleansing, preparation, and analysis is set to become even more crucial in terms of informing business decisions as enterprises accelerate digital transformation in an uncertain economic climate.

However, expertise in this area goes beyond technical skills. It requires business acumen.

The Berkeley School of Information says that “in order to uncover useful intelligence for their organisations, data scientists must master the full spectrum of the data science life cycle and possess a level of flexibility and understanding to maximise returns at each phase of the process.”

Source: Berkeley School of Information

It adds, “Effective data scientists are able to identify relevant questions, collect data from a multitude of different data sources, organise the information, translate results into solutions, and communicate their findings in a way that positively affects business decisions.”

3. Cybersecurity 

As more business and leisure activities move online in the pandemic era, cybersecurity has naturally become a major concern. KPMG notes that “the pandemic has shone a light on the resilience of our businesses as companies struggle to pull together a country-level approach that links together cybersecurity, technology resilience, people, supply chain and property issues — while also focusing on what really matters to the business — critical assets and services.”

Increasingly, enterprises expect cybersecurity professionals to come with more than just technical skills. They are often tasked with fostering a culture of cyber resilience and strengthening collaboration with industry networks to keep threats at bay.