Coding has become an essential skill in today’s tech-driven economy. As a result, almost every organization invests in coders, developers, and software engineers to create and manage their software: global spending on enterprise software is expected to reach $675 billion by the end of 2022.
Given the importance of such roles, recruiters need to stay up to date with evolving tools and attitudes in the software world. The results of Stack Overflow’s 2022 annual developer survey give us an insight into top trends in tech, including favored programming language and cross-platform networks.
This article will highlight the results from the survey and help you understand the implications it has for tech recruiting in your organization, helping you improve your hiring strategy.
What are the key findings from the survey?
The survey was carried out in May 2022 and included inputs from over 70,000 developers across 180 countries. The results were then divided into sub-categories, such as developer profile and work.
Developer Profile
The percentage of people who learned to code through online resources such as podcasts and blogs increased to 70% in 2022. 62% of respondents said they learned coding in educational institutions, while 54% used physical books.
Online learning is the preferred mode of attaining coding proficiency for all respondents under the age of 34. The youngest respondents (under the age of 18) were the most likely to have picked up the skill through online courses or certifications.
The most popular online resources for learning coding are technical documentation (88%), Stack Overflow (86%), blogs (75%), and how-to videos (60%). There is no one-size-fits-all approach to learning coding, and people rely on a mix of methods and resources to master the skill.
Most survey takers were of White and/or European ethnicity, followed by Indian (9.7%) and Asian (9.5%). 92% of respondents identified as a man, 5% identified as a woman, and only 1.5% of all respondents identified as transgender. These statistics highlight the need for more diversity and inclusion in the industry.
Since most coders entering the workforce are self-taught through digital resources, recruiters must expand the higher criteria for tech roles to look beyond educational qualifications. Hiring based on skills rather than degrees is more effective, reduces the risk of hiring bias, and increases workplace equality and diversity.
Most popular technologies
To identify the most preferred technologies for coders of different levels, the survey divided the respondents into three groups: all respondents, professional developers, and people learning to code.
Programming, scripting, and markup languages
The respondents were asked which programming, scripting, and markup languages they used for extensive development work in the past year and would like to use in the future; multiple answers were allowed. JavaScript was deemed the most commonly used programming language across groups for the tenth year.
For those learning to code, HTML/CSS (63%), JavaScript (60%), and Python (58%) were almost equally popular. Professional developers voted for HTML/CSS (68%), JavaScript (55%), and SQL (53%) as the most popular programming languages. Compared to professional developers, people learning to code are less likely to use SQL (38% vs 53%), TypeScript (15% vs 40%), and Bash/Shell (19% vs 29%).
Databases
MySQL and PostgreSQL were the most popular databases among all respondents, with 47% and 44% of votes, respectively. The survey also found that Professional Developers are likelier than those learning to code to use Redis, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server, and Elasticsearch. MongoDB was the second most popular database for those learning to code (31%) due to its many supported languages and application development platforms.
Cloud platforms
AWS is the most preferred cloud platform, favored by over half of all respondents (51%) and professional developers (55%). The second place for all respondents and professional developers went to Azure, with Google Cloud coming in third.
The results were very different for those learning to code: 35% of this group favored Heroku, significantly higher than professional developers (18%).
These statistics show how organizations prefer to use AWS and Azure, making knowledge of these cloud platforms essential for professional developers.
Web framework and technologies
Node.js, React.js, and jQuery were the three most popular web technologies among all respondents, with 47%, 43%, and 29% of votes, respectively. Angular was more common among professional developers than those learning to code (23% vs. 10%).
Additional responses were added to this year's surveys to identify the most popular libraries in different domains. The survey found that TensorFlow is more common than PyTorch for machine learning, while Flutter and React Native are the two most preferred cross-platform tools.
Other tools
69% of professional developers identified Dockers as a fundamental tool, followed by npm (66%) and yarn (30%). The survey also found that individuals learning to code are more likely to use 3D tools than professional developers - Unity 3D (23% vs. 8%) and Unreal Engine (9% vs. 3%) - teaching themselves 3D VR and AR.
Preferred operating systems
Windows is the most preferred operating system for all respondents, for both personal (62%) and professional use (49%). Survey takers also preferred a Linux-based OS over macOS - highlighting the popularity of open-source software.
Top paying technologies
Respondents were asked to enter their current total compensation, including salary, bonuses, and perks, before taxes and deductions. Based on the results, Clojure was the highest-paid language, with skilled developers earning an average of $106,644.
Developers with big-data and data streaming skills are paid highly with Apache Spark, Apache Kafka, and Hadoop, all in the top three ‘other frameworks and libraries’ category.
Employment
The gig economy's growth is evident in the tech world: developers who are “independent contractors, freelancers, or self-employed” have grown by five percent in the last year. Moreover, full-time employment in the top five countries surveyed (US, India, Germany, UK, and Canada) has gone down while the number of independent contractors, freelancers, and self-employed individuals has gone up. 85% of respondents said their organizations had at least a partially remote or hybrid work model.
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The tech world is constantly evolving, and with the increased demand and reduced supply of skilled labor, many organizations are struggling to hire for these specialized roles.
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