The Internet of Things and the Changing Job Market

There are billions of physical devices across the globe connected to the internet collecting and sharing extensive amounts of data daily. During 2020 alone, it was estimated the global population produced 1.7 megabytes of data per day, totaling 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created daily.[i] These capabilities are due, in large part, to accessibility of inexpensive computer chips and the widespread wireless networks. [ii] In the last decade, we have seen the internet of things span everything from password pills to secure swallow and become a living access pass to airplane climate control.[iii] These innovations are making the world around us smarter and more connected than ever before in known history.

This market is not slowing down by any means. The Internet of Things (IoT) market grew to $761.4 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach $1.39 trillion by 2026. [iv]It is a constantly evolving market and the rapid growth is indicative of exactly how much technology has been integrated into everyday life.  While IoT tech is quickly growing in business settings such as health care, manufacturing, and retail, a large number of innovations have been released for personal and home usage. For example, there are over 1.1 billion wearable technology devices around the world.[v]

What is fueling this growth is a combination of the push for connectivity in personal and business worlds, as well as the availability of technologies such as cloud computing. In addition, the IoT is growing in tandem with cloud computing. The advancement of these technologies both enable and are a catalyst to each other. As cloud computing is integrated with IoT, it will strengthen the market, because cloud computing provides speed and security for the data transfers necessitated by the IoT.[vi]

The advancement of technology generally brings with it the fear of lost jobs, due to the generally cost-effective substitute of human workers for digital ones. However, the IoT is actually creating new jobs for aspiring tech workers. Four of the biggest jobs that have arisen since the advent of the IoT age are, IoT engineer, IoT architect, IoT researcher, and IoT consultant. These opportunities allow for individuals of a diverse skill set to ride the wave of this technological advancement.[vii]

Individuals who wish to take advantage of these new developing careers will need certifications to demonstrate their skills in the industry. Organizations can become partners to these aspiring IoT professionals by developing and administering the programs they need to be successful. An IoT certification program that properly prepares job candidates for these top field can easily establish an organization as an industry leader, increasing prestige and revenue.

As the world grows more and more connected, there’s a huge opportunity to leverage change for organizational growth. 

 

[ii] Ranger, S. (2020). What is the IoT? Everything you need to know about the Internet of Things right now. Retrieved from ZDNet: https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-the-internet-of-things-everything…

[iii] Shandrow, K. L. (2014). Swallow This 'Password' Pill to Unlock Your Digital Devices. Retrieved from Entrepreneur: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231182

[iv] Hiter, S. (2021). Internet of Things (IoT) Job Market 2022. Retrieved from Datamation: https://www.datamation.com/careers/iot-job-market/

[vi] Vantage Market Research. (2022). Internet of things (IOT) in Healthcare Market to Reach Over $190 Billion by 2028 – Powered by Increasing Implementation of Cloud Computing - Exclusive Report by Vantage Market Research. Retrieved from Yahoo! FInance: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/internet-things-iot-healthcare-market-16…

[vii] Hiter, S. (2021). Internet of Things (IoT) Job Market 2022. Retrieved from Datamation: https://www.datamation.com/careers/iot-job-market