2020 is here, knocking at our doorstep. How prepared are we for the tech revolution? Robots, AI and intelligent assistants are set to become common at our workplace. But do they have what it takes to edge employees out?

Fourth industrial revolution: we’re living in this era today. While technology advancements are moving at breakneck speed, it is also predicted that AI will be replacing nearly 5 million jobs by 2020, this will be taken over by automated machines.

With a multitude of changes in artificial intelligence, companies will need more and more AI experts to drive economic growth.

Thriving tech skills needed in 2020: -

• Big data analytics

The humongous rise of data has led to the emergence of data science which further segregates itself into machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence.

By 2020, there will be increased job postings by 364,000 to 2,720,000 as forecasted by IBM. And this job surge is predicted to rise to 700,000 job openings. It is also predicted that the demand in big data analytics itself will take a jump of 28% in 2020.

• Machine learning and AI

According to Gartner, 2020 will a promising year for AI and job dynamics in the sector. It is also predicted that machine learning and artificial intelligence alone will garner job opportunities of near about 1.4 million. To bridge the gap or fill in the lacunae, AI experts will need to take up additional upskilling programs or training programs to keep themselves upgraded.

To procure a job in the AI field, the candidate must have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, engineering or probable experience in programming languages such as Python, C, R, Java, JavaScript, and SQL.

Also, based on a report on the AI talent, it is seen that there’s a 119% of AI job increase, especially in sectors such as finance, transportation, manufacturing, healthcare, customer service, and retail.

For someone looking to thrive in this field, upgrading oneself through the best AI certifications available through online programs will be an emerging set of employment for the individual.

• Cybersecurity

Security experts are a must for every company and industry, despite the size and nature of the organization. As companies combat daily battles against cyber attackers, cybersecurity is the need of the hour. And if the predictions are right, cybercrimes are set to damage USD 6 trillion worldwide property in the next two years (2021).

Thus, job opportunities in this field are flooded impacting nearly 74% of organizations. Although the jobs are in high demand, due to the deficit of talent, these job roles remained unfilled for three years in a row now. In such situations, the demand for professionals in cybersecurity will remain unchanged.

Certain job roles that are in high demand in this field include ethical hacker, vulnerability analyst or penetration tester, information security analyst, digital forensic analyst, chief information security officer (CISO), security software developer, incident handler, and security architect.

• Blockchain

Though still new in the tech market, Blockchain is set to become one of the most sought after job skills by most organizations. During the beginning of 2019, Hired, an online job site search reported stating that blockchain engineers were in-demand with a growth of 200% with a year-on-year growth. This technology has moved far beyond the banking sector.

Blockchain technology is now adopted by industries like healthcare, logistics, insurance, transportation, digital payments, and gaming. The demand for blockchain professionals exceeded by 115% between 2016-2017 and is projected to grow USD 7.7 billion by the year 2022.

For workers looking to get into blockchain should possess skills in JavaScript, C++. NodeJS, Go RESTful, Python, Java, ReactJS, Solidity, machine learning, and cryptography.