10 Hottest Freelance Skills for IT Pros and Developers

1. Robotics

This is the first time robotics has made the list (Upwork has been producing the quarterly list since last year). The hottest skill comes as IDC predicts that worldwide spending on robotics and related services will more than double by 2020, growing from $91.5 billion in 2016 to more than $188 billion.

2. Blockchain

Blockchain is a Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) that verifies and records Bitcoin transactions, and has been gaining in popularity this year as Bitcoin value keeps climbing, and banks move from legacy infrastructure to embrace emerging tech like blockchain.

Watch: Learn About Blockchain basics from Microsoft's Mark Russinovich

3. Bitcoin

As Bitcoin reaches record highs, it is a skill that is in top demand for freelancers, according to Upwork. Despite being around for years, this is the first time Bitcoin skills have made the top 20 list.

4. Penetration Testing

Security breaches keep happening, so too does the need for pen testing, which is a method of attempting to break a software or system to find and fix security weaknesses. While this method is being supplemented by other more automated and scalable technologies, it is still relevant to the job market this year.

5. React.js Development

Facebook created React.js has a Javascript library for building user interfaces back in 2013. Demand for React.js developers exploded over 2015 to 2016, StackOverflow reports, and it seems demand for this skill remains steady.

6. Amazon Web Services Lambda

AWS Lambda is a compute service that lets users run code without provisioning or managing servers. Its popularly is likely bolstered by the growing interest in serverless computing.

7. Augmented reality

As enterprise IT leaders consider their augmented reality (AR) strategy, skills in this area are in high-demand, with Gartner including it in its 2017 Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies.

8. Deep learning

AI-related skills are also hot this quarter, with deep learning taking on of the top spots. Gartner expects creating systems that learn and act autonomously will be a major battleground for vendors through 2020.

9. Swift development

Swift development skills are in high demand, despite a recent report that Apple’s programming language for MacOS and iOS development is losing popularity as developers favor hybrid platforms that allow them to work across iOS and Android.

10. AngularJS development

AngularJS, the JavaScript-based open source front-end web application framework developed by Google, just hit its seventh birthday, but still it remains a high-demand skill for freelance developers.