The information technology sector right now is a treasure field for professionals. With strong future outlook and increasing job quotas as well as benefits, there has seldom been a better time to be a web developer. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, web development is the field which has the lowest unemployment rates of any other industry. The same is true for the growth in employment numbers too. The job market has been predicted to grow by 15% which is much faster than the industry average.

Changing market dynamics

There are several reasons why companies are actively looking for web development professionals. Unlike other avenues like cybersecurity, web development has been around for a long time. However, the market requirements are changing. Businesses have to cater to their stakeholders, a majority of which are customers and suppliers. These people, especially customers, are actively looking for innovative products and services. Advancements in technology are driving their demands. As one industry expert commented; the biggest shift being witnessed in the market is towards mobile technologies.

Statistics show that businesses and other entities are ill-equipped to meet these demands. A substantial number of small businesses have no website altogether. The ones that do have not optimized them to work on mobile devices. Applications are not available for every platform and when they do, the customers are not satisfied with the experiences which they offer. As a result, companies are looking for fresh blood to revamp the company’s efforts towards satisfying consumer demands. This has played a major role in unemployment rates in web development dropping to just 1.9. This means that only two out of ten professionals are currently without jobs.

Reasons for unemployment

There are several reasons contributing to unemployment in web development. These include unrealistic salary expectations from professionals. The numbers also take into account the professionals who have quit their current positions because they are looking to switch jobs and others who are looking to start their own ventures. However, the biggest reason is the lack of appropriate skills. Several surveys in recent times have revealed that organizations are dissatisfied with the levels of knowledge and skills which fresh graduates have. They blame that either educational programs are failing to provide students with the right learning or the pupil are unsure about their interests.

Either way, both sides are losing out.

How to create a career path in web development

There are a variety of ways now in which candidates can begin their journey of becoming a web development professional. The real question here is which methods give the best results. Recently there have been customized programs and bootcamps launched to solve this problem. The curriculums in these programs are designed to arm students and professionals with the right combination of market knowledge and practical skills. Backed by renowned universities, these courses and bootcamps can help students acquire the most relevant experiences and learning for the roles that are becoming available in the industry.