Governments may be dragging their feet when it comes to cryptocurrencies – and to a lesser extent, blockchain technology – but businesses have seen the proverbial writing on the wall and are looking to snatch up top talent before the market really explodes.
Deloitte’s 2019 Global Blockchain Survey found that now, more than ever, businesses are exploring ways in which they can benefit from blockchain technology.
The survey polled 1,386 senior executives across twelve countries, most of whom said that blockchain has become a “critical priority.”
“53 percent of respondents say that blockchain technology has become a critical priority for their organizations in 2019 – a 10-point increase over last year.”
The current job market for blockchain and crypto space reinforces the survey’s findings.
A recent article on BeSeen, the tech sector arm of Indeed.com, revealed that between September 2015 and September 2019, the number of jobs per million grew by 1,457%.
By contrast, the number of searches for those jobs only increased by 469% during the same period.
But who’s hiring – and for what?
The companies looking to fill these positions are some of the biggest names in the finance and technology industries.
Micky searched through thousands of recently posted jobs on Indeed.com using the keywords blockchain, bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and DLT and here is what we found:
- Cisco – 342 jobs
- Deloitte – 129 jobs
- Ernst & Young – 52 jobs
- IBM – 195 jobs
- JPMorgan Chase – 16 jobs
- Microsoft – 22 jobs
- Verizon – 18 jobs
- Visa – 9 jobs
Not surprisingly, exchanges and other crypto-related businesses are on the hunt for talent as well.
- Bakkt – 8 jobs
- Binance – 8 jobs
- Coinbase – 70 jobs
- ConsenSys – 17 jobs
- Gemini – 74 jobs
- Kraken – 24 jobs
- Ripple – 55 jobs
The most sought after roles by these companies are:
- Software engineer
- Senior software engineer
- Software architect
- Full-stack developer
- Front end developer
Demand outweighs supply
While companies are eager to hire, the applicant pool seems to be drying up.
According to Indeed.com’s analysis, jobseeker demand in the crypto and blockchain space plunged by 53%, with market volatility and regulatory uncertainty being cited as contributing factors to the decline.
This talent drought isn’t only being felt in the United States. Countries around the world are scrambling to fill their ranks with blockchain and cryptocurrency experts.
In July, Micky reported that the competition for blockchain talent is so fierce in Australia that companies are being forced to offer increasingly more lucrative salaries.
Job sites like Indeed may be seeing a major drop in jobseeker interest in crypto and blockchain jobs, but for freelancers, interest is booming.
Upwork, one of the largest freelance marketplaces in the world, reported last year that the number of freelancers including the keyword ‘blockchain’ in their profiles had increased by more than 3,500%.