Last month, we had a Passport post about the growing demand for skills related to artificial intelligence and machine learning.
In it, we referenced a New York Times post, “Tech Giants Are Paying Huge Salaries for Scarce A.I. Talent,” about the crazy cash and stock options thrown at the few people with doctorates in AI research as global demand for these specialized skills expands exponentially.
That NYTimes post got us thinking … and researching. And a shortage of people with AI skills is just the beginning.
There are shortages of skilled people in every country in Europe, especially those with digital/high-tech bona fides.
According to Hays Global Skills Index for 2017, Sweden ranked No. 1, but not in a good way. The global recruiter finds that Sweden has the most severe tech talent shortage among the world’s 33 highly developed economies.
Sweden’s neighbor Finland also has shortages in tech talent such as developers. Finnish Information Processing Association analysts project Finland needs about 9,000 software developers, with that number expected to rise to 15,000 by 2020 as the population ages and industry demand grows.
Here’s where the global mobility of talent really comes into play.
Finland’s digital game industry is aggressively recruiting tech talent from outside the European Union including from India, China, Russia and the United States.
So, what’s the hot ticket if you want to be a highly sought after highly skilled international? Hand’s down, it’s artificial intelligence.
After perusing various tech sites and recruiting portals, we believe the hardest-to-find skills for companies are (in no particular order):
• Artificial intelligence/deep machine learning
• Cloud security/encryption
• Robotics
• Blockchain/fintech
• Game developers
AI and machine learning enable every new gee-whiz application from personal assistants on smart phones to self-driving cars to cybersecurity to online shopping.
In every major tech center in Europe – Berlin, London, Paris, Eindhoven, Amsterdam and Stockholm – there are jobs going begging for people with AI skills.
London is still the AI hub in Europe, with literally hundreds and hundreds of job vacancies. Berlin is a close second, followed by Stockholm and Paris.
Here are a just a few positions just posted:
• It used to be that working in retail meant folding sweaters at Gap. Not any more.
E-tailer Zalando has an opening for a senior artificial intelligence architect as the Berlin-based Zappos knock-off “transforms from a pure online retailer to a fashion platform ….” In other words, they’re looking to duplicate Amazon’s ability to predict customer trends and improve their UX.
Note: you have to have a Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computer Architecture, Deep Learning or a related field.
• Artificial Solutions is looking for a conversational AI developer for its operation in Stockholm.
This is a really demanding position. Not only do you need to know artificial language nuances, you also need to know Javascript and web AND software development and at least one of these programing languages: Java, Javascript, Python or Apache Groovy
• There’s a little company called Facebook that needs a software engineer (AI) in Paris. This obscure startup seems to have big plans even though the company recently pulled the plug on an A.I. project that got, well, a little scary. (See the video above.)
From the FB careers website:
In this role, you will embed deeply with researchers at Facebook AI Research (FAIR) and develop experiments and prototypes at the frontier of AI Research … You will gain valuable experience in artificial intelligence and AI, publish academic papers and help push forward the understanding of learning and intelligent systems.
You can see more details, then apply here,
• If you’re wondering whether liberal arts types can play in this Brave New World, the answer is, “Maybe.”
Deloitte UK has an opening for a forensic, financial crime, technology architecture, manager/assistant director in London. For once, this is NOT an engineering job. But you have to know the technology and you have to be able to write well. The winning candidate becomes “part of the financial crime team within forensic, focusing on engagements related to anti-money laundering, sanctions, fraud, bribery and corruption,” according to the website.
Sounds like auditioning for a Netflix Originals crime drama.
You can see more details and apply here.
Game developers:
Okay, A.I. is the future, but what about fun?
If your idea of fun is choosing between multiple career opportunities across Europe, then you need to be a game developer.
On various job portals and recruitment sites including Glassdoor and LinkedIn Premium, we saw jobs for gamers in London, (iSoftBet), Istanbul (DOF Robotix), Norway (Verto Norge), Cluj (MindMaze) and Berlin (AppLift.)
We just picked this one out of thousands at random because this is in Finland, the Center of the World for game Development, and the company does Angry Birds.
• Rovio needs a senior game developer in Helsinki.
Their goal is to “reinvent the puzzle category by creating games where time to fun is measured in seconds, but that will turn into years’ long hobbies with deep and immersive meta games and dynamic social gameplay.” No idea what that means, but it sounds like you’d have job security.
This is kind of for pros only. The job description states Rovio is looking for someone with a minimum eight years of commercial game programming experience … and at least 2 years as a team lead and 3 years of Unity experience.
Editor’s note: Passport, our new social media platform, is about life’s essentials – housing, jobs, travel and quality of life. We’ve noticed moderators of expat Facebook pages across Europe increasingly shut out commercial posts. We welcome them … if you’re searching for international talent, we reach tens of thousands of expats across Europe each week. If you have a position to fill or you’re searching for just the right job, register on Passport here.)
