Blockchain is the most desirable hard skill in 2020, according to LinkedIn Learning, the education portal of the famous professional network.
After blockchain, cloud computing falls closely, in the second place, on the skill scale.
Thi skill listing is updated annually and it places the skills in demand by companies.
The in-demand hard abilities are chosen out of LinkedIn’s trending job listings.
In 2019, blockchain wasn’t on the listing at all, while cloud computing and artificial intelligence were the most sought after skills from the LinkedIn listing.
The blockchain technology started to gain popularity at the beginning of 2009, promoted by cryptocurrencies, and it eventually evolved into a way to validate and authorise data, due to its secure distributed ledger.
Due to the current shortage of blockchain professionals to serve this emerging industry, LinkedIn urges its readers to start studying the essentials of blockchain engineering.
It’s unclear why blockchain has suddenly been listed on top of the list of most wanted skills by a company, but it might be a sign that the distributed ledger technology is finally shaking off the stigma surrounding it (given by the crypto sector) and moving into mainstream business processes.
The lack of blockchain professionals
Coin Rivet reported in 2018, a 2000% increase in the demand of blockchain experts, based on the UpWork.com freelancer market. The salaries for blockchain professionals ranged from $36,000 to over $200,000 at that time.
During the last year, a significant number of current pioneer companies created blockchain-based products or solutions, legitimising the blockchain’s reputation.
One such example is the partnership between the global remittance supplier, MoneyGram, who has been operating together with Ripple to start new cross-border payment gateways using blockchain.
Another example is Samsung, which has partnered with Syniverse to allow blockchain-powered cellular payments, revealing that the blockchain innovation is a global event.
On top of all these international projects, the Central Bank Digital Currencies(CBDCs) is focusing on increasing blockchain’s demand and legitimacy. This is becoming a priority for authorities in many countries such as China, the USA, and Australia — further increasing the requirement for best blockchain skilled professionals.