IT Search director David Shanahan talks about the most in-demand roles to be expected in the tech industry in the year ahead.
AI is dominating the headlines in the tech industry and will continue to do so for 2025. As AI adoption continues to expand across industries such as financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and retail, candidates who can combine AI expertise with specific industry knowledge will be in particularly high demand in the coming year.
In addition to AI the most in-demand roles for 2025 will be largely driven by ongoing cloud adoption and increasing cybersecurity requirements. So what will be the most in-demand roles in 2025?
AI engineer
Generative AI could add as much as €148bn to Ireland’s GDP by 2038, so it’s no surprise that AI engineers will continue to be in hot demand.
AI engineers are responsible for creating the architecture that allows AI models to operate, and require a hybrid skillset including: software development, data science, data engineering and infrastructure management.
MLOps engineer
MLOps is a set of practices that automate machine learning workflows and deployments. MLOps engineers are responsible for maintaining the infrastructure that support the ML models and help ensure efficient integration into production environments.
They collaborate closely with machine learning engineers and data scientists and require solid coding skills, Python being the most common language used for machine learning.
Site reliability engineer (SRE)
SRE is the process of automating IT infrastructure tasks using software. SREs effectively close the gap between operations and development to help deliver better applications faster.
Although some of the responsibilities may overlap with DevOps, and both would have the same end goal, SREs focus more on the process by which these goals are achieved. SREs tend to be developers who have pivoted into this function.
DevSecOps
DevSecOps is one of the most in-demand jobs currently. Again, it’s a hybrid function requiring a combination of skills in software development, IT operations and cybersecurity.
Strong coding knowledge is needed for automating security processes, developing security tools and addressing security issues in software development. DevSecOps are tasked with addressing compliance earlier in the development cycle to adhere to regulatory requirements such as GDPR, ISO 27001, SOX, etc.
Certification such as Certified DevSecOps Professional would be of value of anyone considering moving into this space.
Cybersecurity engineer
Cybersecurity would certainly seem to be a safe bet for the foreseeable, particularly in areas of data privacy and cloud operations. The need for talent is pressing, with an estimated 1,000 new roles to be filled annually to keep pace with the growing demand.
Security engineers are responsible for protecting data, networks and systems from cyberattacks. Certifications such as CISSP, CISA, and CISM are highly sought after, while entry-level credentials such as CompTIA Security+ and CEH continue to hold value.
Cloud architect
With many businesses still in the process of migrating to a modern cloud infrastructure to improve operational flexibility and scalability, cloud architects will continue to be in strong demand in 2025.
A cloud architect oversees the cloud strategy, including cloud migration plans, cloud application design and the ongoing cloud management and monitoring.
The popularity of hybrid cloud adoption is growing as it combines the best parts of private and public clouds with on-premises solutions. This is great for sectors like finance, healthcare and government that need strict data controls.
AI product manager
The growth of ‘product-first companies’ within the AI space will continue to drive demand for product managers with specific AI technical knowledge. An AI product manager needs to balance business, technology and data to develop, launch and operate AI products successfully.
AI product managers should be familiar with machine learning algorithms, deep learning frameworks, NLP tools etc, so will often come from a more technical data or statistics background, rather than traditional product managers.
Project manager
Project managers will be remain in demand throughout 2025, especially candidates that have DORAÂ implementation experience. We are also seeing more project management tasks becoming automated, so deeper technology skills for project managers will be an essential part of their growth and development.
PMP, PRINCE2 and SAFe are still the most recognised project management qualifications, however candidates that have additional technical qualifications in cloud or cybersecurity for example, will likely be at an advantage.
JavaScript developer
The second half of 2024 showed a significant increase in the number of technology start-ups. We’re seeing a lot of the newer start-ups opting for JavaScript backends, often Nodejs, and the demand in this area is gaining momentum.
There is a train of thought that NodeJS can complement AWS, and having JavaScript on the client-side and server-side can simplify the code sharing between both and essentially make it easier for the engineers.
Software tester
Testing in production is gaining traction, using real-time feedback to validate features with actual users. Collaborative models like TestOps are breaking down silos, promoting a shared responsibility for quality.
All these changes are helping companies innovate faster and deliver better products. Automaton testers should be comfortable writing reusable test scripts, so generally speaking the stronger the coding skills the better.
David Shanahan is the director of IT Search, a technology recruitment agency based in Ireland.
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