The Fastest-Growing Tech Jobs For 2023: Data Scientists, Cybersecurity Analysts, Software Developers

CompTIA estimates that net tech employment will grow from 9.2 million jobs in 2022 to 9.4 million in 2023, an increase of about 2 percent.

Data scientists, data analysts, cybersecurity analysts and cybersecurity engineers are the technology occupations expected to see the largest growth rates in 2023.

That’s according to the latest “State of the Tech Workforce” report from the Computing Technology Industry Association, or CompTIA.

CompTIA estimates that net tech employment will grow from 9.2 million jobs in 2022 to 9.4 million in 2023, an increase of about 2 percent. Notably, CompTIA only projected 8.6 million tech workers in 2022 in last year’s report – suggesting that 9.4 million could be an undercount.

Top Growing Tech Jobs In 2023

Data science and cybersecurity took the top two spots of this year’s report, as they did in 2022. Jobs in web design, software development, quality assurance and IT support also ranked high for growth.

The report’s definition of tech employment includes technical roles at technology companies, technical roles at non-technology companies and nontechnical roles at technology companies.

The growth of tech jobs comes at a time when multiple tech vendors are cutting employee rosters amid growing inflation, the possibility of a recession in the near future and a tightening of IT budgets after high demand for technology during the height of the pandemic.

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Accenture, Microsoft, Kyndryl, Marvell Technology and Rackspace are among the tech businesses to announce or conduct layoffs in recent days.

Other top jobs on the list include:

*Software developers

*Software engineers

*Software testers

*Chief information officers (CIOs)

*IT directors

Here’s what else you need to know.

Job: IT Support Specialists

Percent growth: 2.4 Percent

Average salary: $50,000

The report estimates about 712,000 IT support specialists jobs in 2023. Although only ranking eighth for percent growth, support specialists make up a large share of tech jobs, only second to software developers and engineers.

IT support specialists make about $50,000 in annual median salary, according to CompTIA’s online salary calculator. The 10th percentile sees about $34,000. The 90th percentile sees about $91,000.

IT support specialists face the second highest turnover rate among tech jobs featured in the report. They face an estimated annual turnover rate of 46 percent. The tech workforce faces a 36 percent annual turnover rate.

Support specialists’ turnover rate is second only to the 48 percent of computer, ATM and office machine technicians.

These jobs also tie for the second highest annual replacement rate at 8 percent, just over the workforce’s 7 percent. They are tied with network support specialists and web and digital interface designers. These jobs are second to the 11 percent faced by computer, ATM and office machine technicians.

More young professionals make up IT support specialists compared to the tech workforce. About 35 percent of IT support specialists are 19 to 34 compared to the tech workforce’s 32 percent.

About 47 percent of support specialists are 35 to 54 compared to 51 percent for the workforce. And the share of 55 and older support specialists is the same as the workforce at 17 percent, according to CompTIA.

IT support specialists are more diverse than the tech workforce overall. About 12 percent of support specialists are Black or African American compared to 8 percent of the workforce. Black people make up about 13 percent of the U.S. labor force.

About 11 percent of IT support specialists are Hispanic or Latino, according to CompTIA. That’s a higher share than the 8 percent of the tech workforce that identifies as Hispanic or Latino.

About 28 percent of support specialists are women, higher than the 26 percent share for the tech workforce.

About 12 percent of the overall United States workforce is Black or African American. About 17 percent of the U.S. workforce is Hispanic or Latino. About 50 percent of the overall U.S. workforce are women, according to the report.

Job: Systems Analysts, Systems Engineers

Percent growth: 2.6 Percent

Average salary: $99,000

Systems analysts and engineers ranked seventh in the CompTIA report with 2.6 percent growth.

The report predicts about 553,000 systems analyst and engineer jobs in 2023, ranking toward the top for prevalence in tech, behind software developers and engineers and systems analysts and engineers.

The estimated annual turnover rate and estimated annual replacement rate for systems analysts and engineers are in line with the tech workforce’s 36 percent and 7 percent rates, respectively.

CompTIA’s online salary calculator says that systems analysts make an annual median salary of about $99,000. The 10th percentile sees about $61,000. The 90th percentile sees about $158,000.

Systems analysts and engineers skew older than other tech professions. About 20 percent of systems analysts and engineers are 55 and older, according to the report, compared to 17 percent for the overall tech workforce.

Half of systems analysts and engineers are between 35 and 54, in line with the overall tech workforce. And 29 percent of systems analysts and engineers are 19 to 34 compared to 32 percent for the overall tech workforce.

Systems analysts and engineers are more diverse than the overall tech workforce. About 10 percent of systems analysts and engineers are Black or African American compared to the workforce’s 8 percent.

And 38 percent of systems analysts and engineers are women compared to 26 percent for the workforce. Both systems analysts and engineers and the overall tech workforce are 8 percent Hispanic or Latino.

Job: CIOs, IT Directors

Percent growth: 3.4 Percent

Average salary: $159,000

Chief information officers (CIOs) and IT directors ranked sixth for project tech occupation growth in 2023 with 3.4 percent.

CompTIA estimates 537,000 CIOs and IT director jobs in 2023, No. 4 for volume of jobs.

CompTIA’s online salary calculator puts CIO annual median salary at about $159,000. The 10th percentile sees about $95,000. CompTIA doesn’t provide the 90th percentile salary, but the 75th percentile sees about $199,000.

These jobs are more secure than the overall tech workforce, with an estimated average annual turnover rate of 33 percent compared to 36 percent. The estimated annual replacement rate is the same at 7 percent.

CIOs and IT directors skew older than the overall tech workforce – only 17 percent of CIOs and IT directors are 19 to 34 compared to 32 percent of the workforce.

Sixty-two percent of CIOs and IT directors are 35 to 54 compared to 51 percent of the tech workforce. And 20 percent of CIOs and IT directors are 55 and older compared to the workforce.

CIOs and IT directors have a higher share of women compared to the overall tech workforce. Thirty percent of CIOs and IT directors are women compared to 26 percent of the workforce.

CIOs and IT directors have the same share of Hispanic or Latino workers – 8 percent – as the tech workforce.

But the job role lacks in Black or African American representation – 6 percent of CIOs and IT directors versus 8 percent of the tech workforce.

Job: Software QA, Software Testers

Percent growth: 4.1 Percent

Annual Median Salary: $98,000

Software quality assurance (QA) professionals and testers ranked fourth for projected tech occupation job growth in 2023 with 4.1 percent, according to CompTIA.

The report estimates about 213,000 software quality control (QC) and tester jobs in 2023.

The online salary calculator from CompTIA shows about $98,000 for the annual median salary in software QA. The 10th percentile sees about $49,000. And the 90th percentile sees about $153,000.

CompTIA predicts a higher annual turnover rate for software QC and tester jobs compared to the overall tech workforce – 40 percent compared to 36 percent.

This also puts this job role toward the top for occupations by annual turnover rate – tied with computer programmers and behind only IT support specialists (46 percent) and computer, ATM and office machine technicians (48 percent).

The estimated annual replacement rate for software QC and tester jobs is the same as the overall tech workforce’s 7 percent.

The age breakdown for software QC and testers is similar to the overall tech workforce. Thirty-four percent of them are ages 19 to 34 compared to 32 percent for the overall workforce. Fifty-one percent are ages 35 to 54 – the same as the overall workforce. And 15 percent of them are 55 and older, slightly less than the workforce’s 17 percent.

The software QC and tester job role has a higher share of women compared to the tech workforce overall – 30 percent compared to 26 percent.

But the role is less diverse in other areas. Six percent of software QC and testers are Black or African American compared to the tech workforce’s 8 percent. And 5 percent of software QC and testers are Hispanic or Latino compared to the workforce’s 8 percent.

Job: Web Designers, UI, UX

Percent growth: 4.7 Percent

Average Salary: $73,000

Web designers and professionals focused on user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) tied for third for projected growth occupations in 2023 with 4.7 percent, according to CompTIA.

The association doesn’t provide an average salary online for this job. According to Glassdoor, web designers make an average of $58,000 base pay, UX designers make $79,000 and UI designers make $82,000.

CompTIA projects about 111,000 web developers and 110,000 web and digital interface designers in 2023, according to the report. Developers’ 34 percent expected annual turnover rate and designers’ 37 percent rate are close to the 36 percent rate expected for tech employment overall.

The 7 percent estimated annual replacement rate for developers and 8 percent rate for designers is also in line with tech employment’s 7 percent rate.

Web developers and web and digital interface designers also skew younger than the tech workforce. About 44 percent of both job roles are professionals ages 19 to 34, compared to 32 percent for the tech workforce.

About 45 percent of web developers and web and digital interface designers are 35 to 54 compared to 51 percent of the tech workforce. And 9 percent of both job roles are 55 and older compared to 17 percent of the tech workforce.

Web developers and web and digital interface designers are also more diverse than the tech workforce overall. About 9 percent of professionals in these job roles are Hispanic or Latino compared to the workforce’s 8 percent.

Thirty-four percent of web developers and 38 percent of designers are women compared to 26 percent of the tech workforce.

However, only 6 percent of web developers and web and digital interface designers are Black or African American compared to 8 percent of the tech workforce.

Job: Software Developers, Software Engineers

Percent growth: 4.7 Percent

Annual Median Salary: $121,000

Tied with web designers and UI and UX professionals, software developers and engineers rank third on CompTIA’s projected job growth occupations for 2023 at 4.7 percent.

This job is more prevalent in tech compared to others, with CompTIA estimating about 1.6 million software developers and engineers in 2023. That is the largest volume of jobs of any occupation featured in the report.

CompTIA estimates that software developers make an annual median salary of $121,000. The 10th percentile makes $64,000. The 90th percentile makes $169,000.

The job features a lower annual turnover rate compared to the tech workforce overall – 31 percent compared to 36 percent.

The job features the same 7 percent estimated annual replacement rate as the overall tech workforce, according to the report.

Software developers and engineers skew younger than the overall tech workforce. About 36 percent of software developers and engineers are 19 to 34 compared to 32 percent of the workforce.

Half of software developers and engineers are 35 to 54 compared to 51 percent of the workforce. And 14 percent of software developers and engineers are 55 and older compared to 17 percent of the workforce.

Software developers and engineers are less diverse than the overall tech workforce. About 4 percent of software developers and engineers are Black or African American compared to 8 percent of the tech workforce.

About 5 percent of software developers and engineers are Hispanic or Latino compared to 8 percent of the tech workforce. And 21 percent of this job role are women compared to 26 percent of the workforce.

Job: Cybersecurity Analysts, Cybersecurity Engineers

Percent Growth: 5.2 Percent

Average Salary: $102,600

Cybersecurity analysts and engineers have the second highest projected growth for tech occupations in 2023, according to the CompTIA report. The organization estimates 5.2 percent growth for this job.

However, this job is more prevalent than data scientist and data analyst jobs – jobs that CompTIA ranked No. 1 for growth. CompTIA estimates about 179,000 cybersecurity analysts and engineers in 2023.

Cybersecurity engineers make $102,600 in annual median salary, according to CompTIA’s online salary calculator. The 10th percentile makes about $62,000. The 90th percentile makes about $166,000.

Cybersecurity analysts and engineers face the same estimated annual turnover rate as the overall tech workforce’s 36 percent. They face an estimated annual replacement rate equal to the tech workforce’s 7 percent.

The age breakdown for cybersecurity analysts and engineers is also in line with the tech workforce’s 32 percent ages 19 to 34; 51 percent ages 35 to 54 and 17 percent ages 55 and older.

More cybersecurity analysts and engineers are Black, African American, Hispanic or Latino compared to the tech workforce – 14 percent Black or African American compared to 8 percent for the tech workforce, and 9 percent Hispanic or Latino compared to the tech workforce’s 8 percent.

However, this job role lacks in representation of women. About 20 percent of cybersecurity analysts and engineers are women compared to 26 percent of the tech workforce.

Job: Data Scientists, Data Analysts

Percent Growth: 5.5 percent

Average Salary: About $100,000

CompTIA projects that data scientists and data analysts will see the largest growth among tech occupations in 2023 with 5.5 percent, according to the association’s report. CompTIA predicts 122,225 data scientists and analysts jobs in 2023 – toward the middle of jobs in terms of prevalence.

Data scientists in the United States see an annual median salary of about $101,000, according to CompTIA’s online salary calculator. The 10th percentile salary is about $59,000. The 90th percentile salary is about $167,000.

Data analysts see an annual median salary of about $95,000, according to the calculator. The 10th percentile sees about $46,000. The 90th percentile sees about $162,000.

The association predicts a slightly-below annual turnover rate for data scientists and analysts at 34 percent – tied for the fifth lowest turnover rate with web developers.

The estimated annual turnover rate for tech jobs overall is 36 percent. The estimated annual replacement rate is the same for the tech workforce at 7 percent.

This job role is slightly less diverse compared to overall tech jobs for Black, African American, Hispanic or Latino representation, according to CompTIA.

Black people and African Americans make up 6 percent of data scientists and analysts compared to the workforce’s 8 percent. Hispanics and Latinos make up 7 percent of data scientists and analysts compared to the workforce’s 8 percent.

However, data scientists and analysts featured the highest share of women compared to any other tech occupation analyzed by CompTIA’s report.

Women make up 46 percent of data scientists and analysts compared to the workforce’s 26 percent.

More young professionals hold the role of data scientist and analyst compared to the rest of the tech workforce, according to CompTIA. About 43 percent of this job are professionals 19 to 34. That is higher than the workforce rate of 32 percent.

Professionals ages 35 to 54 also make up 43 percent of data scientists and analysts. This group makes up 51 percent of the overall tech workforce. And professionals ages 55 and older make up 14 percent of data scientists and analysts compared to the workforce’s 17 percent.