Tech jobs took a heavy hit in 2022, and according to Layoffs.fyi, 424 tech companies laid off 120,253 employees in the first two months of 2023. But it might not be as bad as it sounds. "This kind of realignment happens regularly, and often companies take the opportunity to do this under cover of an economic downturn," explains Rachel Bellow, a cofounder of Bonfire, a talent development accelerator for the rising generation of women in the workplace. "If we examine hiring and firing numbers over the past 24 months, we see that companies like Meta, Salesforce, Microsoft and others have hired far more employees than they have fired, sometimes by a factor of 10." But according to LinkedIn's Workforce Report, the industries that have seen the biggest declines since last spring are technology, information, and media (down 41 percent). To stay competitive in those fields, job seekers must keep their tech skills strong. Whether you're looking to stay relevant in your current position, survive a company reorg, or secure a new role, continuing to grow intellectually and emotionally will serve your career well. We asked career experts and tech veterans to weigh in on the skills you need to succeed in tech in 2023; as it turns out, some aren't very techy at all. |
