Paul Krill
Editor at Large

Java, Python top most wanted list for employers

news
Nov 14, 20222 mins

Java, Python, SQL, C++, and JavaScript programming skills are most in demand in the workplace, says the HackerRank developer skills report.

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When it comes to the programming language skills employers want most, HackerRank has found a handful of languages bunched at the top of the list, including Java, Python, and SQL. Demand for others, such as Go and TypeScript, is growing but trails far behind demand for the leaders.

These findings and others are featured in the 2023 HackerRank Developer Skills Report, which was published November 10. The report is based on data culled from HackerRank’s own platform, rather than relying on survey responses, as with previous HackerRank reports. The report ranks the most in-demand software engineering skills and programming languages among employers and developers, based on the number of language-specific skills assessments the company conducted in the past year.

The top five languages by volume were Java, Python, SQL, C++, and JavaScript. Trailing far behind these languages, but ranked sixth to 10th respectively, were Bash, C#, Go, TypeScript, and R. Among the leaders, demand for TypeScript and Go grew fastest in 2022, as did the demand for PHP. Go assessments increased 301% in 2022 while TypeScript assessments increased 392%. Demand for Swift and Ruby slipped, the company reported. The volume of Swift assessments was just 80% of the volume in 2021, while the volume of Ruby assessments was 66% of what it was in 2021.

To estimate employer demand for specific languages, HackerRank Work tests were assessed. Skill demand was assessed based on the number of HackerRank Work tests using specific library questions. To assess developer preferences, HackerRank tracked submitted languages by candidates when they have multiple options available, as well as proficiency in those languages. HackerRank Community practice data also was assessed.

In other findings in HackerRank’s report:

  • R and Scala experienced a loss of developers in 2022.
  • Languages that grew in 2021 and 2022 are expected to continue to grow in 2023, including Java, Python, and SQL.
  • The demand for REST API skills grew by 179%.
  • Demand for Docker skills has been eclipsed by that for Kubernetes container orchestration skills.
  • Employer and developer demand for data science and machine learning skills is growing.
  • Overall, the tech industry continues to grow, although growth in 2022 slowed compared to 2021.
Paul Krill

Paul Krill is editor at large at InfoWorld. Paul has been covering computer technology as a news and feature reporter for more than 35 years, including 30 years at InfoWorld. He has specialized in coverage of software development tools and technologies since the 1990s, and he continues to lead InfoWorld’s news coverage of software development platforms including Java and .NET and programming languages including JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, and Go. Long trusted as a reporter who prioritizes accuracy, integrity, and the best interests of readers, Paul is sought out by technology companies and industry organizations who want to reach InfoWorld’s audience of software developers and other information technology professionals. Paul has won a “Best Technology News Coverage” award from IDG.

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