‘Blockchain developer’ is the fastest-growing job sector in the United States, according to LinkedIn’s new 2018 U.S. Emerging Jobs Report. LinkedIn says the sector has experienced “33x growth” due to a “surge in interest around blockchain and cryptocurrency.” The report defines growth based on members who’ve added specific roles to their profile.
The professional networking website says its Emerging Jobs Report is designed to help U.S. professionals “make more informed decision[s]” about careers by giving insights into what types of jobs and skills are in-demand.
Last year’s report did not mention blockchain or cryptocurrency, but indicated jobs with the best growth potential have a focus on technology. The report said “machine learning engineer, data scientist, and big data engineers rank among the top emerging jobs.”
LinkedIn: Blockchain-Related Jobs In ‘High Demand’
The 2018 report notes that all of the identified ‘emerging jobs’ are “nearly in incredibly high demand” across the country. LinkedIn says blockchain developers primarily work at companies like IBM, ConsenSys, and Chainyard and have expertise in “Solidity, Blockchain, Ethereum, Cryptocurrency, [and] Node.js.”
The report indicates demand for blockchain development jobs remains high in San Francisco, New York City, and Atlanta, but says “only time will tell if blockchain will be a long-standing tend in the job market.” Other top emerging jobs, according to the report, are Machine Learning Engineer (12x growth), Application Sales Executive (8x growth), and Machine Learning Specialist (6x growth).
Blockchain Developer Jobs’ Demand Could Subside
Despite the optimistic outlook expressed in the LinkedIn Emerging Jobs Report, some speculate the industry could change immensely due to cryptocurrency market crashes. In late November, CryptoGlobe wrote about a new report that said demand for blockchain-focused jobs had fallen by 50% due to the market hesitancies towards newer projects.
A short time later, blockchain development company ConsenSys indicated it was refocusing its business structure and criteria, presumably as a response to bear markets for much of 2018. Reports said the company was seeking new investment from venture capital funds.
However, other companies are still looking to bring blockchain experts onboard. CryptoGlobe reported a few days about how Facebook had listed a few new blockchain positions on their career portal. The social media giant said they were looking for talent for their “new team building blockchain technologies,” characterized as a “startup within Facebook.”
