The 2021 IT Job Market: What a Year

Remote work and pent-up demand fueled a frenzied job market in 2021. IT pros sought higher salaries, and CIOs focused on retaining talent.

Jessica Davis

December 24, 2021

2 Min Read
The 2021 IT Job Market: What a Year
(Source: Pixabay)

Some of the most visible transformations that were accelerated by the pandemic happened in the workforce. Fear of job loss was a big theme in 2020. But in 2021, the switch was flipped. Now more workers are looking to trade up in their jobs, finding new opportunities in a job market of expanded opportunities enabled by remote work.

After a year of salary stagnation for many, IT pros were looking for new opportunities with higher salaries -- and they were finding them. Organizations shifted their focus to retaining existing talent through “wellness” programs and training their existing talent on skills needed to compete in today’s market.

For the first time ever, “remote” work topped the list of geographies in job advertisements, placing above New York and San Francisco for technology jobs, according to a report from The Ladders.

Remote work continued to be a major theme in 2021 as companies set and then delayed plans for a return to the office, over and over again. At the same time, tech vendor providers of office collaboration tools for remote work refined their product offerings and sketched out a vision for a long-term future that incorporated remote work as a major component.

Remote Work

Remote Reshapes the Future of Work

CIOs will focus on enabling richer remote work experiences in 2021, and virtual offices could be a part of that picture.

More Remote Work Leads to More Employee Surveillance

Looking to ensure remote worker productivity, organizations are turning to AI and surveillance technology. But 10% of workers are expected to try to subvert those efforts.

Remote Work Tops SF, NYC for Most High-Paying Job Openings

The city with the largest number of high-paying job openings is no longer a city. It's remote work. And the trend is here to stay.

Ways to Build a Talented and Reliable Work-at-Home IT Workforce

COVID-19 forced many organizations to create virtual IT teams. Things worked out so well that a growing number of IT leaders are now looking to build a permanent home-based workforce.

Salary and Compensation

IT Pro Salary Survey: What You Earned in 2020

Did you get a raise in 2020? The InformationWeek 2020 IT Salary Survey lets you know how you stacked up against your peers during a year that was like no other.

Data Engineers in High Demand, Winning High Salaries

Get ready to pay six figures for your new data engineer. Quantitative recruiting firm Burtch Works' first salary survey reveals the salaries and trends impacting these data infrastructure experts.

Data and Analytics Salaries Heat Up in Recovery Economy

After a year of uncertainty, the employment market for data scientists and analytics pros is heating up again.

Read the rest of this article on InformationWeek.

About the Author

Jessica Davis

Senior Editor, InformationWeekJessica Davis has spent a career covering the intersection of business and technology at titles including IDG's Infoworld, Ziff Davis Enterprise's eWeek and Channel Insider, and Penton Technology's MSPmentor. She's passionate about the practical use of business intelligence, predictive analytics, and big data for smarter business and a better world. In her spare time she enjoys playing Minecraft and other video games with her sons. She's also a student and performer of improvisational comedy. Follow her on Twitter: @jessicadavis.

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