Upwork: Blockchain the Fastest Growing Skill in US Freelance Job Market
The latest quarterly skills index by global freelancing website Upwork shows that the fastest growing skill in the United States during the second quarter was blockchain.
According to the Q2 2018 Upwork Skills Index , blockchain clinched this position by beating over 5,000 other skills listed on one of the largest freelancing platforms in the world.
Additionally, Go, a programming language developed by Google and which can be used to create blockchain applications, also appeared on the top 20 list underscoring the increasing relevance of distributed ledger technology.
Second Quarter in a Row
The feat was a repeat of the first quarter of 2018 when blockchain emerged as the fastest growing skill in the world’s largest economy for the first time. Since last year blockchain-related skills have enjoyed quadruple-digit growth.
“Its year-over-year growth has exceeded 2,000 percent for the past four quarters, and it experienced more than 3,500 percent year-over-year growth in Q2,” wrote Upwork.
Some of the current blockchain-related jobs posted on Upwork include distributed system engineers and developers in various languages and frameworks such as Solidity (a contract-oriented programming language for writing Ethereum smart contracts) and Node.js.
Programmers proficient in C++ (the language employed in coding bitcoin’s most commonly used client, Bitcoin core) are also highly sought after. Other common jobs in the sector include Telegram community managers and white paper writers.
Bullish Outlook
The Upwork Skills Index has been released at a time when the blockchain sector is experiencing rapid growth. As CCN.com recently reported, accounting firm KPMG recently released a report which indicated that investor interest in blockchain startups had increased significantly compared to last year. The report singled out the United States as having a vibrant blockchain sector with investors showing increased interest.
“Blockchain continued to draw a significant amount of attention from investors in Q1 and Q2’18, although investments typically focused on more experienced companies and consortia looking to obtain additional rounds of funding rather than on new market entrants … The US was particularly active on the blockchain front, with total investment in the first half of the year already exceeding the total seen in 2017,” stated the report by the big-four accounting firm.
Higher Demand for Blockchain Talent
The KPMG report went on to state that during this year’s first half the total amount invested in the blockchain sector exceeded the total amount that was invested in the space during the entire 2017. It is safe to assume that the surge in investments led to an increased demand for blockchain-related skills and this is likely to continue if the sector maintains the growth trajectory. Per data analytics firm IHS Markit, for instance, global blockchain business value is expected to grow from a figure of US$2.5 billion recorded last year to US$2 trillion in 2030.
Featured image from Shutterstock.
